Once a Potter, Always a Potter
by WarMunger98
Summary: (Not abandoned, just revamping.) Harry is not the only Potter left. He was lucky enough to have a little sister born just before James and Lily were murdered. Follow their journey through Hogwarts and beyond as the tackle love, mystery and a war. They will meet new friends and be reunited with lost family. M for violence, language and later sexual situations/scenes. Hinny.
1. Intoroduction & Privet Drive

**A/N: Hello there! And welcome to my story. First off, I'd like to acknowledge a few people for inspiring me with ideas, the first off being** _Senator of Sorcery_ **for their story** _For In Dreams_ **. Second, to** _Oracle2Phoenix_ **for their story** _My Brother!_ **. These two authors had these two ideas first and I acknowledge their input into my writing. Second, I would like to acknowledge the artwork for the story being the work of the amazing Jim Kay, who illustrated the first two HP books. Lastly, all rights and privileges of this amazing world belong, and rightfully so, to J.K.R, cheers to you J.K. for giving us a world to dream of. Thank you for taking the time to read, please feel free to review, all criticisms welcome, however downright malicious attacks will be ignored. Thank you once again, enjoy!**

 **16/11/18: Howdy folks, so this is the new updated version of OAPAAP. Chapters 1-17 are all updated, the biggest updates are in chapters 1-2 though, however things have been added here and there. I did promise that I would put chapter 18 up today but I'm still not happy with the length. It's been hard to get my mojo back after all these months of inactivity and uni work, but I'm trying my best, especially since I'm without a muse or a beta reader. Anyway, enjoy folks and hopefully I'll see you soon.**

 **The flight from Privet Drive: Chapter one**

Once there lived a boy. This boy had unruly black hair and piercing deep green eyes. On his face, he wore a pair of broken old glasses which barely allowed him to see. This boy had a little sister, with blazing auburn hair and loving warm chocolate eyes. Her face perfectly sculpted with every part of her fitting just right. Their names...were Harry James Potter, and Madeline-Rose Lily Potter. Unbeknownst to these two young children, as they slept underneath a flight of stairs, that a world unknown to them would celebrate their names until the last days of Earth.

"Harry! Madeline! Time to get up!"

Unfortunately for these two young children, their family didn't quite think of them the same way as the rest of the world. Harry and Rose Potter are orphans you see, and their only living family that they knew of happened to be their 'lovely' Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley and their cousin Dudley. Petunia, ever the gossip, had a face which looked quite like a horse, but don't let her hear you say that. Her hair, a light brown, fell in curls around her face as the rest of it was pinned high on her face. Her husband, Vernon, was a rather large man, with a face like a walrus and a moustache to suite. Atop his head sat a mop of greying blonde hair. Unfortunately for everyone, Vernon had picked up more than just his build from his father, he had seemed to have picked up his sense, or rather lack of sense, in regards to alcohol. Spending most nights at the pub with his work mates, Vernon rarely got home before midnight, and sometimes wouldn't even come home till breakfast time, reeking of alcohol and only just sober. Lastly, there was Dudley, the podgy, younger, blonder image of his father, truly a Dursley if there ever was one.

Unfortunately for Harry and Rose, these three individuals had been their family for the last 10 years of their life. You see, their parents had died in a car crash when they were quite young, leaving Harry with a peculiar looking lightning bolt scar. Now the two lived in utter poverty, doing chores all day and barely eating morsels each night, if they got anything at all. Sometimes they were beaten, either by their cousin Dudley, or their ferocious beast of an uncle. But despite their hardships, through it all, the two siblings managed to love one another, using each-others presence as a means to survive the daily hell that was their lives.

The sudden banging at their cupboard had woken Harry out of his slumber. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes, rubbing the sleep from out of them before rolling over to wake his little sister up. Rose slept there, tiny compared to him. He smiled as he took in her sleeping state, glad that she was safe here with him, and that at least they got some time to be together before they embraced another day with the Dursleys.

"Rose, it's time to get up" Harry softly nudged his little sister awake as he turned on the light in their tiny, dingy cupboard under the stairs.

"Mmm, five more minutes, I swear I'll be up" Unfortunately for the both of them, Rose was not a morning person.

Harry had to suppress a snort, "Rose we have to get up, it's Dudley's birthday, and you know how they get when everything isn't perfect for their little Duddikins".

Rose slowly opened her chocolate brown eyes to meet her brothers deep emerald eyes.

"Morning Harry, has it really been a year since the fat lump had his last birthday cake?"

Harry chuckled lightly at his sister's comment. "Yeah, afraid so, come on, don't want to make Duddikins wait any longer".

The two siblings slowly got up out of their cupboard, sharing a kiss on each-others cheeks as they did every morning. Walking into the kitchen they spied Dudley's overtly large pile of presents and the scent of burning bacon in the air.

"Hurry up you two! Get breakfast going! Madeline, Go get the mail!" Shouted Aunt Petunia as she thrusted a pair of cooking tongs into Harry's hands.

Perturbed by his aunt's shouting, Harry set about trying to salvage breakfast as Rose went to get the mail, sending Harry a comforting warm smile, letting him know that everything would be okay. Meanwhile, Dudley Looked up from his plate of early morning birthday cake, mouth full to the brim. He looked up at his mother, shovelling another large piece into his mouth before asking.

"Mummy, where's daddy?" as he spoke, pieces of cake fell onto the table to keep their brethren company.

Petunia turned to him with a pale face and looked him in the eye before stating "I'm afraid daddy hasn't come home yet Duddikins, he said he'd be here though so don't worry".

Just as Petunia finished her sentence the front door slammed open and shut as Vernon Dursley walked into the kitchen reeking of alcohol, dragging Rose along with him from the front door. "Woman! That breakfast better be ready! BOY! WHERE'S MY COFFEE!".

Roughly shoving Rose off towards Harry, Vernon plumped himself next to Dudley and ruffled his son's hair. "Happy Birthday Duddikins! Enjoying that cake?".

Dudley turned to look at his father, rather sheepish as he responded to his intoxicated father,

"Yes dad, but the freak is taking too long with breakfast!", Harry glared at Dudley as Vernon got up and roughly cuffed Harry behind the head.

"Hurry up with breakfast boy! And you, Girl! Did you get the mail!?"

Rose looked up to Vernon cautiously before answering him, "Yes Uncle Vernon, the mails on the table for you", Rose quietly went over to help Harry with breakfast as Vernon started to sift through the mail.

Rose got closer to her brother before whispering into his ear, "There's a letter for you in the cupboard for afterwards, don't say anything".

Harry shot her a puzzled but thankful look as Rose started to dish up breakfast for the Dursleys.

"Dad, are we going to the Zoo today?" Dudley asked his father out of the blue. Vernon looked up from his morning paper to look at his son,

"No Dudley, 'fraid I've got a terrible headache, how about I take you tomorrow?"

"But I wanted to go today! Take me today dad!"

In a split-second Vernon cuffed his own son around the head, "I said no Dudley, now eat your cake and shut it!"

Petunia simply looked on as her son quietly ate his cake in silence. Breakfast was fairly subdued affair after Vernon's violence on Dudley, and before long Rose and Harry were back in their cupboard waiting to be ordered around for the day. This gave Harry a chance to read the letter that had come for him. Rose passed him the letter before crawling up next to him so she could look on and read along with him. Looking at the letter, Harry noted that it was very precise in its addressing,

 _Mr H. Potter_

 _The Cupboard under the stairs_

 _4 Privet Drive_

 _Little Whinging_

 _Surrey_

Harry took a look at the back and noticed the emblem on the back, 'Hogwarts'.

"Well open it up Harry! Let's see whose it from!" Harry looked at the letter once again and slowly opened it up and read it to Rose slowly.

 **HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF**

 **WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Potter,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

 _Minerva McGonagall_

Deputy Headmistress

Along with the letter came a long list of supplies and books, including all sorts of odd equipment, such as cauldrons, a wand, spell books, and an assortment of 'potions' supplies. Harry gaped at the letter in disbelief, wondering if this was all a dream or just some sort of joke, or if it was actually real. Rose stared at her brother in disbelief before taking the letter from Harry, looking it over herself.

"Harry, this can't be real, can it?"

Harry stared at his sister for a bit before finally speaking. "I have no idea Rose, maybe we should ask Aunt Petunia, she might know something."

"Are you serious? That's a terrible idea! She'll tell Vernon, and then we'll...we'll get hit again", Rose started to sob against her brother's shoulder, "I don't want to get hit again Harry, it hurts so much. I don't want YOU to get hit again".

Harry wrapped his arm around his sister as she sobbed into his shirt, "Alright, we won't tell her, but we need to find out about it",

Nodding her head in consent, Rose extracted herself from her brothers' arms and wiped her tears away, "O-Okay Harry, we'll plan tonight okay?",

Deciding that asking Petunia was the wrong thing to do they agreed to plan a course of action into discovering this so called 'Hogwarts'. Before they knew it, Petunia had them out of their 'room' and set about doing tasks for the day. Harry was tasked with mowing the lawn, tending the flowers out front, painting the front fence with a fresh coat of paint, and lastly sorting out the garden shed so that Dudley could put whatever garden toys he received inside. Rose on the other hand was tasked with keeping Dudley satisfied food wise, bringing fresh pieces of cake and making him a spectacular birthday lunch and dinner, as well as cleaning Dudley's room in order to safely fit any and all new toys that Dudley received today. Working in the summer sun took a toll on Harry, and Rose made sure to keep him well hydrated throughout the day, bringing fresh lemonade and even some biscuits as he worked on through the day. Before long, it was dinner time, and Harry had come in to help Rose with the dinner preparations. They sat there in subdued silence as they went about diligently to create a fine meal for their 'loving' cousin and family. They silently dished up the meal and set it about the table, only being allowed a tiny portion of their own cooking and having to sit at the other end of the table, far away from Dudley and his father. Vernon mainly waffled on about drill bits and how the Germans and French were trying to wrestle in on the competition here in England. He made some rather derogatory comments towards the two nations, stating something along the lines of one was a coward and the other was a fascist dictatorship still. As dinner came to a close, Rose and Harry went about finishing up washing the dishes, waiting for their opportunity to escape to their cupboard so that they could plan what to do with Harry's new letter.

However, their luck ran out not long after they finished the dishes.

"BOY! GIRL! What is the meaning of this!",

Steaming into the room was a distraught and angry Aunt Petunia, waving in her hand the very letter Harry had received earlier that day.

Harry tried to cover it up, "Aunt Petunia I can expla-",

"There I was, so lovingly cleaning out your pigsty of a room when what do I find! A letter from that freakish school and that freakish man who left you two FREAKS here with us!", Petunia spat,

Rose started to her tears in her eyes, "Aunt Petunia please, we don't know anything about Hogwarts! We just got the letter this morning!",

By this stage, Vernon was fuming, his face turning a bright red as he stormed his way over to the siblings, "You dare hide from us, your caring family, letters from that freakish world! Well, I think there's only one course of action isn't there!",

Reaching across to grab a cast iron skillet, Vernon waved it threateningly around before setting his eyes on Rose. Sensing the danger that his sister was in, Harry stepped in front and took the blow to the face for her.

"HARRY!" Rose screamed as her brother fell to the floor, a gash bleeding profusely from his brow, "STOP IT! STOP IT! Leave him alone!",

Vernon smiled maliciously as he reared the skillet back for another hit. He was stopped from doing so however by the front door being blasted wide open. All eyes turned towards the hallway as an older man, wearing what appeared to be robes coloured midnight blue, accompanied by a hat with stars dotted along it, strode into the room with purpose.

"When I left the Potters here on your doorstep all those years ago, I expected from you to show the two the love and care that they deserved, and yet you have refused to do so!" The man spoke with a cool calmness to his voice,

"Obviously I was a fool to believe that any of you would be willing to change" The man said, "Thus, tonight, I will be righting wrongs. Miss Potter, please come with me, I'll help your brother up",

Rose nodded numbly as she walked over to the man, whilst he picked her brother up in his arms.

"Now just wait a moment, I expect compensation after everything we've done for these two! We've fed them, given them clothes, put a roof over their head!" Vernon sputtered out angrily,

The man turned to face Vernon, fixing him with a steely glare, "If you expect me to believe the measly food and water that you've given these two, plus the cupboard you call a room, are adequate, then you Vernon Dursley are a bigger fool then I",

And with that, the man strode from the kitchen with an unconscious Harry in his arms. The Dursleys were left stuttering as their niece and nephew walked out of their lives, seemingly forever.

Once the odd group left the house, the man turned to Rose, "You must have many questions Miss Potter, but they shall have to wait for now. I suppose introductions are required however?",

"That would be rather useful, sir", Rose nodded,

"My name is Professor Albus Dumbledore", Albus introduced himself, "And for many years now, I have watched and waited to see if your relatives would shape up. It appears that my waiting was all for naught",

Rose was livid, "You mean to say that you've been watching Harry and I whilst we were abused, starved and treated with utter contempt!",

"It is my deepest regret that I must confirm your beliefs, however I did so with a reason which shall be explained once we find ourselves somewhere safe", Albus explained, "Now, if you could please just trust me for one moment, and take hold of my arm, we shall go somewhere safe from your Aunt and Uncle",

Nodding her head slightly, Rose took Albus' arm with her dainty hand and held on for dear life as she suddenly found herself being what felt like being squeezed into a tube. Stumbling to a halt, Rose had to hold back the bile that was rising in her throat after taking such a journey. After regaining her composure, Rose looked up to see that instead of being outside of number 4 Privet Drive, she found herself looking upon a large country house.

"Professor, where are we?", Rose asked,

Taking a few great strides up to the front door, Albus turned to the youngest Potter and smiled, "This, Miss Potter, is the home of your Grandparents",

And with that, Albus knocked on the door of the home in front of them, the bangs of the knocker echoing throughout the twilight hour. It only took a moment before a woman with bright auburn hair, speckled with grey, came and answered the door.

"Professor Dumbledore, it's been many years, what do I owe the pleasure?" the woman asked,

"My dear Juniper, could I perhaps come inside? There is much to discuss", Albus gave her a tight smile,

Nodding her head, the woman called Juniper moved to the side, until she noticed the two children accompanying Albus,

"Professor, is that…are these my daughters' babies?" Juniper asked, her voice breaking with emotion,

Giving Juniper a slow nod, Albus pushed his way past her, and into the sitting room where he placed Harry onto a burgundy coloured couch. Albus' intrusion did not go unnoticed, as an older man with light chocolate brown hair came striding into the room,

"What's all the commotion about?", spying Albus and the Potters, the man promptly stopped and let his mouth fall to the floor, "Dumbledore, what's going on here?",

"Alexander, there are two people I think you'd like to meet", Albus said pointing to the Potter siblings,

The man named Alexander, Rose could only assume he was her grandfather, looked livid as he stared at Albus with a deathly glare, "10 years too late I might add! Look at these two, you know what they look like? They look like the kids we took out of Belsen! Filthy, beaten, malnourished kids. You knew what my daughter and that bastard of a husband of hers would do to them, but no, you had to place them there!".

"Alexander please, my intentions were to save the two children from what was left of Voldemort's followers, you know this!", Albus tried to reason,

"I don't care for your petty excuses Albus, you denied my grandchildren a childhood, you should have left them here, with us!",

By this stage, Juniper had regained her composure and came to stand by her husband, "Alex, we need to hear what Albus has to say before we jump to conclusions", Juniper said, taking a look at her grandchildren, Rose lying next to her brother as he laid their unmoving. "Not just for ourselves, but also for these two",

Alex nodded his head, "Alright, you've got one chance Albus, explain".

Dumbledore nodded his head as he turned to Harry, "I think that this is a conversation for all of us, so please, let me wake Harry up before we continue",

The older couple gave nods of consent as Dumbledore turned to the two Potters, "Miss Potter, I need to wake your brother, is that alright by you?"

Rose nodded her head slightly as she sat up and hopped off the couch to let the headmaster do his thing. Taking out his wand, Dumbledore casted an intricate spell, making Harry's body light up in different places all over, causing the old man to frown deeply. Shaking his head, Dumbledore used his wand once more to cast ' _revenerate'_ onto Harry.

Sitting up with a start, Harry took in his surroundings quickly before his eyes came to Rose. Harry quickly grabbed hold of his sister and took her face in his hands, "Are you alright? He didn't hit you, did he?",

Rose shook her head as fresh tears came to her eyes, "I'm alright, you took the blow for me", Rose said the last part with her eyes downturned to the floor,

"And I would gladly do so again", Harry said as he laid a gentle kiss to his sister's brow,

A voice clearing their throat brought Harry's attention back to where he was, "Ah, right, where are we?"


	2. Weasleys

**Explanations: Chapter Two**

" _Ah, right, where are we?",_

Dumbledore stepped forward at this point to introduce himself, "Mr Potter, my name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of wizardry and Witchcraft, and as to where you are, you are in the home of your mothers Parents…your grandparents",

Harry's attention peaked as he took a look around the room. Looking at the two older people in the room he noticed that the older lady did indeed share his bright green eyes, but she also had Rose's bright auburn hair, flecked with streaks of grey here and there. Her face was kindly and her laugh lines were that of someone who smiled and laughed for most of their life, and yet her eyes also held pain and suffering. The older man in the meantime had lovely deep blue eyes, and light brown chocolate hair, much like his Aunt Petunia. However much like his wife, he too had the signs of a happy and kind face, however it was evident that he was a hard worker. Dotted across his face were the tell-tale signs of hard work, with streaks of dirt still clinging to his pores and scars over some of his face.

"You're…you're our grandparents?" Harry asked, almost unbelievingly,

Juniper and Alex nodded, tears coming to their eyes as they strode forward and wrapped their grandchildren in tight hugs, "Yes my darlings, we're your grandma and grandpa",

Harry had to choke back a sob as his grandmother wrapped him in a tight hug, the first hug he had received from anyone besides his sister, "W-why are we just meeting now though?" Harry asked through the sobs,

Alexander released his openly sobbing granddaughter and relinquished her only to be immediately be swept up into a tight hug from her grandmother, "I don't know son, but I was hoping the headmaster here could tell us", Alexander said as he took his grandson into his arms,

"I suppose I must tell you all the truth, but for that, I need to explain to you Mr and Miss Potter, just what kind of world I and your mother and father lived in",

Harry sat up on the couch and made room for his grandparents, his grandmother pulling him into a tight hug as Rose took her place on her grandfather's lap.

"You see, there exists a world hidden from your own, a world full of magic and wonder. Your grandparents chose to be part of that world and so did your mother when she received her own Hogwarts letter. Your father however was born into the magical world.

Our world, the magical world, is cut off from the non-magical world, what we call the 'Muggle world', the world in which you have been part of for the majority of your life. Before you were born however, there was a war waging throughout magical Britain. A wizard, self-styled as Lord Voldemort, lead a group known as the Death Eaters, trying to overthrow our government and enforce their beliefs on the world".

Dumbledore had to pause as the memories of those bitter, brutal years came flashing back, "Your parents, alongside many other brave witches and wizards, fought to stop Voldemort from succeeding. You see, Voldemort believed in what is called pure blood supremacy",

"What's that?" Rose asked,

"It is the belief that witches and wizards who are pure in blood, in other words have both magical parents, are superior to other magical persons, most importantly Muggleborns, who are magical people born to muggles. Your mother was one of these people, whilst your father came from a long line of pureblood witches and wizards, making you two what we call half-bloods",

"Did our family believe in that Professor?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore shook his head, "Certainly not. No, the Potters have for many years been against such acts and beliefs, however this has been received badly in the past".

Harry and Rose nodded their understanding. Deep down inside their hearts they were relieved to hear that their family would never take part in such vile beliefs, "Professor, why did we have to live with our Aunt and Uncle?" Harry asked,

Dumbledore sighed as he looked at Juni and Alex, "The reason you had to stay with your Aunt and Uncle all stems from the act of sacrifice that your mother performed on the night they were killed, and the night you two were almost killed",

"How did they die professor?" Rose asked Timidly,

"They were murdered by Lord Voldemort himself, after your parents refused to join him on multiple occasions. Your mother gave her life to try and protect the both of you and because of that sacrifice, an ancient magic formed a protection around both of you that would protect you from the forces of the darkness",

Dumbledore let out another sigh, "Unfortunately the protection had to be placed around someone who shared your blood and at the time, the most obvious choice would have been your grandparents, however believe it or not Juniper, Alexander, you were known to the magical world and as such placing the children with you could have been a disaster. So, with that in mind, I formed the protection around your Aunt and Uncles home, knowing that they were unknown to the magical world. However, I did not foresee the harm that would fall both of you from within".

"But we can stay here now, right?" Rose asked, hope laced in her voice,

"I would see that as the best course of action now seeing as that the overall threat to your lives has diminished in recent years. However, I shall be placing your mother's protection around this house for safeguarding should anything happen to harm any of you",

Harry and Rose looked at their grandparents, letting a smile break through their guarded expression, "Will you let us stay with you? Please?" Harry all but begged his grandparents,

"Of course, you can! What kind of silly question is that, you're our grandchildren, we wouldn't want you to be anywhere else!" Alexander exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Then that settles that, I will leave the Potters in your care. Now, if that is all for tonight, I shall depart and place the protection over the house. If either of you two have any questions, do not be afraid to ask them, myself or your grandparents would be happy to answer them for you"

Harry got up from the couch and offered a hand out to the headmaster, "Thank you professor, for not just rescuing us, but for allowing us to stay here also. And for what it's worth, I forgive you for placing my sister and I with our Aunt and Uncle",

Dumbledore gave Harry and Rose a sad smile as he took the young boys hand, "Thank you Mr Potter, you have relieved my old heart. Now, I must depart, I wish you all a goodnight. Until we meet again!" and with a twist of his body, sending his robes billowing around, the professor was out the door and into the night.

"Well, he certainly has style, that much is for sure" Alex smirked as he got up from the couch, "Now, are the pair of you hungry? We have some leftovers from dinner if, just a pot roast I'm afraid, nothing fancy,"

Rose nodded her head, "That would be amazing thank you, sir."

"None of that sir rubbish now you hear? It's grandpa, or pa, or old man if you're feeling cruel," Alex answered with a smile,

Rose and Harry snickered, "Alright Grandpa," They replied in unison.

"And before you get any ideas, I won't accept anything but grandma or ma, but please not granny, that makes me feel my age," Juni sighed as she smiled at her grandchildren.

The older couple led their grandchildren down the hallway and into the modest looking kitchen where there sat a round table with six chairs around it. Alex set them down on a chair each and gave them some cutlery as Juni quickly heated some of their left-over dinner up in their microwave.

"So, you two must have a lot of question. Your grandma and I will try our best to answer what we can but as wise as Dumbledore makes us out to be, we're not as familiar with the magical world as some," Alex explained as he sat down at the table.

Juni joined them, sitting herself down next to her husband, "We know a wizarding family on the other side of town that I can contact in the morning. They have a couple of children your age that we can introduce you to."

Harry and Rose looked at each other briefly before giving their grandparents a small nod, "Are you two okay?" Alex asked.

"It's just that, well, besides each other we've never had any friends," Harry explained.

Rose nodded her head, "Dudley tended to scare whatever friends we made at school, so people eventually stopped trying."

Juni pursed her lips as she looked at her husband, "Well, that won't be happening ever again. I assure the both of you that you can make as many friends as you like and that they are always welcome here,"

"This family is quite friendly anyway, they worked with your mother and father during the war so they're not exactly strangers. Your grandmother goes to see them on and off as well don't you dear?"

Juni nodded her head, "I do, I often go into town and bump into them while I shop."

The two young Potters nodded their heads as they continued to listen on. Eventually the conversation turned towards their parents and upon learning that they had never even seen a picture of them, Juni promptly went to fetch a photo album from their living room.

"This was taken on their wedding day," Juni explained as she passed a photo to Harry and Rose.

The couple in the photo were an almost spitting image of Rose and Harry with slight differences between them. Harry had inherited their mothers' eyes and nose, whilst Rose had inherited their fathers' eyes.

"They look so happy there," Harry lamented as he looked at the image of his smiling parents.

"Your mother and father were very much happily in love. It took a while for the pair of them to stop dancing around each other and for your father to mature, but eventually they got their heads together and decided they were meant for each other," Alex said.

Juni nodded her head, a few tears coming to her eyes, "They were so happy together, never have I seen a more in love pair. Except maybe for us, even though I have to put up with you," Juni laughed at the look on her husband's face.

"Pot calling the kettle black, my love," Alex smirked.

Harry and Rose smiled at the obvious love their grandparents shared. It was widely an unknown emotion to the pair of them, the only love their ever received was from each other, but they never felt the love of a parent.

"Alright you two, had enough to eat?" Alex asked as he stood up.

Giving nods of agreement, Rose and Harry made to stand up and take their dishes to the sink, "Leave those there, I'll deal with them in a moment. Let's get you into bed first," Juni assured them.

Harry and Rose had to give a double take as they left their plates on the table, "Are you sure Grandma? We're quite happy to wash up," Rose said.

"I'm sure my darlings, you've had a long day…and a long life already. Come on, we'll set you up in your own rooms," Juni said.

Rose started to fidget as she listened to her grandmother assign them different rooms, "Um, Grandma…is it…is it okay if I sleep with Harry?"

Juni cocked her eyebrow slightly, "Are you sure sweetheart, there's more than enough bedrooms for the pair of you to have your own."

Rose nodded her head franticly, "Please, I don't think I could sleep if I didn't have Harry next to me. We've slept in the same bed our entire lives and frankly…it scares me a little to have him taken away from me."

"It's alright Rose, you can bunk with me, you know I don't mind," Harry assured his sister as he slung his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, my poor sweethearts, my poor, poor babies," Juni started to tear up once more as she grabbed the pair of them and pulled the young Potters into a tight hug, "You are going to have such an amazing life here, I promise you. Your grandpa and I are going to spoil you rotten."

Rose was openly sobbing by now as she gripped onto her brother and grandmother. Alex came around to wrap his arms around all three of them as he laid his head atop his wife's, sharing a knowing look between them. Rose's last outburst was the last straw on her frail body, as the group soon found out. In amongst the hugging and crying, Rose had slumped into her brother and fallen to sleep in his arms.

"Alright, I think it's time to get you both into bed, do you want me to take your sister Harry?" Alex asked as he brushed Rose's hair out of her eyes.

Harry nodded his head as he allowed his grandfather to pick up his sister and carry her down the hallway and up the stairs to the upper floors.

Up the stairs was another smaller hallway, with four doors jutting out from the wall, two on each side. The group came to a stop at the first door on the right, which had a sign attached to it reading 'Lily Evans Room. _No Boys'._ Harry couldn't help but let out a snort as he read his mother's sign. Alex grinned a little as he heard his grandson laugh at his mother's antics.

"Your mother certainly was a character at times, I can tell you that much" Alex said.

Opening the door, Harry had to supress a gasp as the room came into view. It was a rather large room, at least to Harry, with cream coloured walls accompanied by the golden cornices that lined the top of the walls. In the middle, pushed against the back window was a queen sized four poster bed, decorated with a deep moss green blanket and duvet which stood out well against the oak floor. In one corner their stood a desk with numerous photos along it alongside a pot of pens and a book that looked like it hadn't been moved in a number of years, judging by the dust coating it. A fully stocked bookshelf decorated another corner and alongside that was a deep oak coloured tallboy and matching dresser. All in all, Harry had never felt that a room could feel as homely as the one he was standing in right now.

As Harry sat there in the entrance way, Alex walked over to the bed and softly placed Rose down on the bed. Harry finally snapped out of his wonder and made his way over to his sister, as Juni followed him in and sat down on the bed next to the pair of them,

"Are you sure you're okay sleeping in here with your sister Harry? There's another bedroom that you could have" Juni said,

Harry shook his head, "It's alright grandma, Rose needs me with her and to be completely honest I think I'd be much more comfortable to know my sister was close by",

Both Alex and Juni nodded their heads in understanding, "If that's what you want sweetheart then we won't stop you. We'll leave you two alone now, just remember that if you need anything your grandpa and I are just down the stairs and the first door on the right in the downstairs hallway",

Harry nodded his head as he gave his grandparents a hug goodnight before they retreated out of the room. Looking over at his sleeping sister, Harry softly brushed the hair out of his sisters' eyes as he let out a soft sigh.

"Well Rosey, looks like our dreams came true. We're finally out of that hellhole"

Rose softly stirred in her sleep, signalling for Harry to finally hop into bed with her. Taking off his sisters' shoes and his own shoes, Harry pulled the duvet over the pair of them and tucked the pair of them into bed. As soon as Harry had turned off the beside lights, Rose snuggled into his side, wrapping her arm around his chest. Harry just smiled as he pulled his sister close, listening to her snore as he finally shut his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

The next morning, Harry had a small panic attack as he woke up in an unfamiliar room. Rose was gone from the bed and his eyes were still blurry from missing his glasses. Scrambling around the bedside table, Harry finally found his glasses and slipped them on, allowing him to see again. As he took in the room, the events of yesterday finally came back to him. It hadn't been a dream, Rose and himself had finally managed to escape the Dursleys and they were finally with people who would love and care for them.

Swinging his legs off the bed, Harry stretched his legs out, hearing the popping in his arms as he stretched out his bones. Done with his morning ritual, Harry made his way downstairs where he found his sister sitting around the kitchen table with his grandparents enjoying breakfast.

"Morning everyone" Harry called out as he took a seat next to his sister,

"Morning Harry, sleep well?" Rose asked as she pecked her brother on the cheek,

Harry nodded his head as he returned the gesture, "Probably one of the best sleeps of my life",

Juni smiled as she set a plate full of sausages, eggs and toast in front of her grandson, "That's good to hear dear. I'm not sure how your beds were at Petunia's but I can only imagine that anything was better than that",

Harry and Rose nodded their heads in agreement as Harry dug into his food.

"So, I was planning on bringing over some friends of mine to meet today, remember the family I was speaking about yesterday?" Juni said,

Rose and Harry nodded their heads "We do, what was their name again?" Rose asked,

"The Weasleys, they're a lovely family and their youngest two are the same age as the pair of you. Their youngest son is heading off to Hogwarts as well this year so you'll at least know someone before you go Harry" Juni explained,

"That sounds great thanks grandma, are they coming here?" Harry asked,

"I sent a message to them this morning, they should be here around lunchtime, so we have plenty of time to get ready" Juni said,

Alex cleared his throat to get himself some attention, "And if you want I can show you around the property, in case you ever wanted to explore or what not",

"That would be lovely thankyou grandpa" Rose answered,

The group fell into a comfortable silence as the young Potters finished up their breakfast and Juni and Alex cleaned up the dishes. Having a quick shower after breakfast, Rose and Harry, led by their grandfather, went about and explored the grounds. Alex explained to them what they were growing out in the fields, mostly wheat but also barley, alongside the orchard where they grew a number of citrus trees and all sorts of other fruit trees. Harry and Rose were in awe of the beautiful Cyprus trees that grew alongside the drive up to the house and their grandmothers rose garden just to the side of the house. Rose especially enjoyed looking at the parts of the garden that their mother had grown and maintained before her death.

"Well, I guess it's up to me to continue mums work then" Rose pondered out loud,

"Only if you want to sweetheart, but if you really want to I'm sure your grandmother would be happy to give you a hand and help you to pick out your own additions from the nursery in town" Alex said,

Rose nodded her head and smiled, "That sounds like a lovely idea, thank you grandpa!".

They continued their tour around the grounds, losing track of time. By the time Alex looked back at his watch it was almost half past midday. Coming back around to the front of the house, the group noticed a parked Ford Anglia.

"Bugger, the Weasleys must be here already. Come on you two, best get you inside before your Grandmother has my hide" Alex hurried along the siblings.

Stepping into the house, the sounds of voices coming from the sitting room drifted into the entryway,

"No doubt their grandfather has forgotten the time already, he was never very good at keeping time" Came the voice of Juni

Another voice that Harry and Rose didn't recognize came through, "Oh don't be too hard on him Juniper, you know what men are like. Arthur is constantly forgetting where he puts things or what the time it",

"Are my ears red? I do believe I heard my name mentioned" Alex said with a grin as he came into room, the Potter siblings close behind,

Juni rolled her eyes as she smiled at her husband, "About time that you got them back here. Rose, Harry, I'd like you to meet Mrs Weasley and her youngest children Ronald and Ginevra",

Harry eyed up the group of people sitting in the front room. His immediate thought was how homely and comely Mrs Weasley looked, with her bright, happy smile and comforting features. Ronald, the young boy, looked a little bewildered and awkward if Harry was honest, but still had an honest face to him. What caught all his attention however was the youngest Weasley female there, Ginevra. Harry's heart started to beat rapidly and his mouth became dry as he eyed the pretty redhead ahead of him, with her warm chocolate eyes, fiery, darker red hair then her mother or brother, and cute pixie nose that adorned it all. Harry couldn't help but be drawn to her, it almost felt like it was completely natural, like something was clicking into place for the first time in his life. Rose had noticed the look on her brothers face and decided to give him a slight kick in the shin to bring him back to reality.

Feeling Rose's foot connect with his shin, Harry supressed a groan of pain as he bit his tongue and was brought back to reality, "It's very nice to meet you Mrs Weasley, I'm Harry, Harry Potter, and this is my sister…",

"Rose Potter, it's lovely to meet you all!" Rose finished,

"You're really Harry Potter?" Ron asked almost unbelievingly

Ginny slapped her brother across the back of his head before Mrs Weasley had time to scold him, "Ronald Weasley! How rude a question to ask, I brought you up to have better manners then that young man! And Ginny, don't hit your brother, as tempting as it is" Mrs Weasley pursed her lips as she eyed her two children,

"Honestly it's okay Mrs Weasley. Yeah, I'm Harry Potter, although I'm not really sure why that's so important" Harry rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Ginny's eyes widened for a second as she eyed Harry, "You're famous though Harry, you were the one who defeated You-Know-Who!",

"Ginny! Do I have to remind you of your manners now too!" Mrs Weasley scolded,

Ginny shrunk a bit at her mother's lashing, "But its true mum! Harry's a hero!",

"For something neither of us can remember? How does that even happen" Rose asked,

Juni cleared her throat to speak, "It's just like what Professor Dumbledore said last night. No one really knows what happened that night, but the theory is that it was your m-mothers sacrifice that protected you and that in turn helped you defeat Voldemort",

The Weasleys all gave a small shudder at mentioning of Voldemort. Alex continued on for his wife, "You two are quite celebrated in the wizarding world. Like Dumbledore said last night, those were dark days and when you managed to either destroy Voldemort or banish him or what not, you gained cult following overnight".

Harry suddenly didn't feel very well at all. The revelation that whilst yes, he may be famous but at the cost of his parents' lives didn't sit very well with him. Harry needed to get out, he couldn't be in that room any longer, so he turned on his heels and made for the front door, making a beeline for the orchard.

Rose sighed as he watched her brother storm out, her own pain coming through, "I'll go talk to him. I'm sorry about that, Harry's quite sensitive sometimes",

Rose followed off after her brother searching through the orchard trees until she found him sitting at the base of an old apple tree, "There you are, are you okay Harry?" Rose went to kneel in front of her brother, taking both of his hands in hers and giving them a squeeze.

Harry shook his head as he cleared the tears out of his eyes and focused on Rose, "I didn't want any of this, why couldn't we have been just a normal family. Why did we have to lose our parents! And for what, having some bloody fame in some bloody world we didn't even know about!" Harry let out a sob as he collapsed into his sisters outstretched arms, "Well I'd give it all up just to have mum and dad back with us",

Rose stroked her brothers back in circles as he let him cry out his frustrations and anger, whilst she let her own tears roll off her cheeks, "It's okay Harry, we have a family now and a chance at life. No matter what, I will always owe it to you for everything you've done for me, all through our short lives" Rose laid a soft kiss against her brothers' forehead and rested her head against his as their sobbing came to a stop.

The sound of leaves and twigs snapping alerted them to a new presence. Harry and Rose looked up just in time to see the Weasley siblings come walking up to the tree that the Potter siblings sat under, "Hello, we thought we'd come and keep you some company" Ginny offered the pair a bright smile,

"Thank you, that would be much appreciated." Rose responded, "It was Ronald and Ginevra wasn't it?" Rose asked,

"Yeah, although I prefer Ron if I'm honest and Ginny hates being called her full name" Ron smirked at sister as she shot him a glare,

Rose chuckled in sympathy, "Don't worry, I know your pain. My full name is Madeline-Rose but I prefer just Rose".

"Just Rose hey? And here I've been calling you Rose. Well it's a pleasure to meet you Just Rose", Harry joked, earning him a soft glare from his sister as she untangled herself from him and gave him a whack on the arm,

Ron and Ginny made themselves comfortable on the ground next to the Potters, "So, have you learnt much about the magical world yet?" Ginny asked, shyly biting her lip as she looked at Harry,

"No, not much at all. Until yesterday we were living with my Aunt and Uncle who were non-magical people I suppose. They…weren't very nice" Harry shook his head to get rid of the memories resurfacing,

"But you have so much to learn then! Like Quidditch, and all the magical foods we have, plus wicked spells, did I mention Quidditch?" Ron gushed as he began to look excited at the prospect of teaching the famous Potters about the magical world.

Rose chuckled, "Well, I guess we'll have an excellent teacher from the pair of you then",

The pair of siblings stayed underneath the tree for a good part of the afternoon as Ron and Ginny taught all they knew about the magical world to the Potters. Rose couldn't help but notice how her brother and Ginny would occasionally watch each other from the corner of their eyes, blushing whenever they caught each other looking. Ron of course was completely oblivious, too caught up in demonstrations and hand waving to notice his sister watching Harry Potter of all people.

Eventually Alex came and fetched them to come inside and enjoy some food that Juni and Molly had cooked up. Making their way back inside, Rose talked to Ron as Harry and Ginny went in front. Rose managed to catch them rubbing hands as they swung their arms, causing them both to blush but continue on anyway. Rose couldn't help but smile that her brother very obviously had a crush on the youngest Weasley. Lunch was an interesting affair as the Weasleys told the two Potters all about their family and what else Molly could spare about the magical world that Ron or Ginny hadn't included in their small teaching lesson. Rose had to occasionally bash her elbow into her brothers' side to remind him not to keep staring at Ginny, something that earned her a glare and a promise of retribution later on.

"So, Rose, Harry, did my lot teach you what you needed to know about the magical world?" Molly asked as they finished up their meals,

The two siblings eagerly nodded at Molly and began to retell what they had learned from the two Weasley siblings. Harry in particular was quite taken with the idea of Quidditch and flying a broom in General. His Grandmother spoke up at this point telling him just how much he was like his father.

"Oh yes. Your Father was quite the Quidditch player, or so Lily would tell me. He used to play, what was it dear? Chaser? Yes, that's it, he used to play as a Chaser, although I have no idea what that meant, all I knew was that he was very good, and Lily always said he could become a professional".

Harry smiled broadly at the thought of his father flying around on a broom, throwing quaffles through goal hoops and buzzing around the pitch like a bird. Ron was quite eager himself by the look on his face, "Your Dad was a chaser Harry! That's amazing, see, Quidditch is in your blood!"

Harry merely smiled at his newfound friend as he continued to tuck into his morning tea, giving Rose a broad smile, happy that for once in their life they were where they belonged and they were happy. The day continued on much the same, with the siblings going off once again outside to discuss even more interesting aspects of the magical world. At one stage, Ron was talking about the 'Ministry of Magic', intriguing both of the Potter siblings.

"You mean, the magical community has a government? Right alongside the muggle government? How do you not get seen or discovered?"

Ron took a sip of his water to quench his thirst before he answered Harry, "Well you see, there are all sorts of rules and laws that stop us from doing magic in front of muggles and what not. And then if we do accidently perform magic in front of muggles, then we can just change their memories, it's really complicated but not impossible. There's whole departments at the Ministry which handles that sort of thing."

Harry and Rose nodded their understanding and the foursome continued their conversation. Before long, Molly announced that it was time for the Weasleys to head home for dinner. Before they left, Molly invited the two Potters and Juni to come with her to Diagon Alley to get school supplies when her other children came back home at the end of the month. Agreeing with Molly, Juni began to plan when they would go, and also planned to have the whole Weasley clan around the Evans house. As they were saying their goodbyes, the Potters and Weasleys promised to catch up tomorrow if possible, promising them Potter siblings to take them around the village and introduce them to some of the locals. Happily agreeing, the Potters farewelled the Weasleys and retreated back inside where Juni was hurriedly preparing dinner for the whole family, but not before Harry and Ginny could share a look that could almost be described as longing. Much of the night was spent reminiscing on what they had learned through the day, and even some stories of when Petunia and Lily were growing up, including the day Lily got her Hogwarts letter. Harry enjoyed himself as he continued asking his Grandparents his mother and father. Before long, Juni was pushing them off up to bed, and the two Potter siblings readily agreed, feeling exhausted after all that had happened today. Lying in bed together, Rose and harry discussed everything that had happened to them since yesterday morning when Harry first got his letter.

Making their way back up to their room, Harry was rounded on by Rose as entered the room, "So, got yourself a little crush on Ginny hm?" Rose smirked as Harry turned crimson,

"Hey now, that's not fair! Just because she's very pretty…very very pretty…doesn't mean I have a crush on her!" Harry tried to defend himself.

Rose wasn't buying any of it however, "That's rubbish and you know it. You fancy Ginny don't you!"

"And so, what if I did, she's an amazing young girl who makes my blood thrum and my head spin when I just look at her! She's funny, smart, charming and caring, who wouldn't like her!" Harry shoved his hands over his mouth to avoid saying more as he turned an even brighter shade of red.

"I knew it!" Rose exclaimed passionately "Of course you fancy her. I'm sorry for embarrassing you Harry, there's really nothing wrong with you for liking her" Rose made her way over to wrap her arms around her brother.

Harry returned the gesture and placed his head on top of Rose's, "But that's the problem…this feeling that I'm feeling…it's different than anything else I've ever felt", Harry cleared his throat as he continued "I've had crushes before, remember that girl I liked when I was in year three? The one Dudley chased off".

Rose nodded her head, "Well, what I felt then and what I feel now is completely different. It's like my heart has gone into overdrive" Harry said.

"Well…I don't know what to say. But like you say, Ginny is a lovely young girl, so what's the problem?" Rose rubbed her brother's cheek with her thumb, "You can feel these feelings, there's nothing stopping you and if I'm honest I think she quite happily thinks and feels the same way".

Harry's eyes went wide and his retreating blush returned, "What! Y-You think she fancies me too?" Harry stuttered.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Of course I do. I watched the pair of you. You were basically flirting with each other",

"F-Flirting!" Harry spluttered. "But…but…how?".

"Just by the way you were looking at each other, or rubbing hands as you walked. How you drifted away when you stared at each other. And let's not forget that look as they went home, you looked like a kicked puppy."

Harry unwrapped himself from his sister and went to stand by the window, his arms crossed in thought, "when I first saw her…it felt like something I've been missing my entire life just popped into place into my heart",

"Really? That's incredible" Rose said as she went to take a seat on the window seal.

"But we had just met, how is that even possible?" Harry let out a sigh, "It just felt so…right to focus on her, to care for her…to…love her",

Rose's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, "Love? You think you love her?",

Harry nodded his head, "I do. It's like how I feel when I think of you, but different. When I think of you, it think about how much I care about you, how special to me you are and how much I want to protect you", Harry cupped his sisters cheek as a tear streamed down her side, "But when I think of Ginny, I don't just think about all of that, I think about how amazing it would be to hold her, to hold her hand…to…kiss her", Harry blushed once more,

"You want to kiss her?" Rose asked,

Harry nodded shyly as he retreated back to their bed, "Well…there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, that's what people do when they love each other, or even just fancy each other", Rose explained,

"Maybe you're right. Why don't we leave it for now and talk about it later hey?" Harry said,

Rose nodded her head and gave her brother a peck on his cheek, "You'll be alright Harry, we'll figure things out, I promise".

Harry nodded his head, believing his sister. For the first time in a long time, they had time to worry about the other things in life then just survival. They now had a life to worry about the better things in life, like love. Harry thought that he could get use to this kind of life and certainly hoped Rose would find someone that thought about her like he did for Ginny. But that was a long time coming, or at least he hoped.


	3. Diagon Alley

**Wands, owls, and a family fortune: Chapter three**

The month went by in a flash for the two Potter siblings. Each day they went out with the two Weasley siblings, exploring the village and getting to know the local populace. It seemed that most of the town was familiar with the Evans, and would occasionally spot them out and comment on how much Rose looked like her mother, although a few did comment on how Harry shared their mothers brilliant, vibrant green eyes. Later on, in the week, Ron and Ginny invited the siblings over to the Burrow to show them where they lived. Rose and Harry were flabbergasted by the way the house was held up, but loved it all the same.

Ron explained to them that his family wasn't exactly the best off, but Harry assured him that money didn't make a person, his uncle and aunt was proof of that. The foursome spent the rest of the day enjoying themselves in the pond by the Burrow, and ended up having dinner with the Weasleys, where upon Harry and Rose met Mr Arthur Weasley, the Patriarch of the redheaded clan, although his own red-hair was beginning to bald. Arthur was ecstatic to have the two Potters over, and mainly spent the time questioning them about muggle technology, much to the annoyance of Molly and the amusement of Ron and Ginny. Eventually the end of the month came around and the rest of the Weasley clan came home, including Percy, the 'pompous dogooder' of the family, and the prankster twins, Fred and George, who took an instant liking to Harry and Rose.

The night the kids got back from Hogwarts, Juni invited the Weasleys over for dinner so that they could discuss going to Diagon Alley together. Most of the night was spent playing all sorts of wizarding games, such as exploding snap and wizarding hide and seek, where one of the adults would place a disillusioning charm on the seeker, making it harder to hide and run away from. Arthur was busy chatting off Alexanders ear about even more muggle related questions, and Juni and Molly were quite happily discussing what they should do before the children had to go back to Hogwarts. Percy reluctantly joined in the fun at the instance of the twins, who badgered him until he eventually caved in. Although by the look on his face, he ended up enjoying himself.

A couple of days later, on the 3rd of June, the Weasleys, Potters and Juni decided to depart for Diagon Alley. Driving over to the Burrow, it was decided that the Potters and Juni would meet the Weasleys there in order to travel by floo powder to the magical shopping Mall. Molly pulled the two Potters and Juni aside and explained to them how to travel by floo powder.

"Now, all you have to do is throw a bit of powder into the fireplace, and very clearly state where you want to go before stepping into the fire. Got it?"

The threesome nodded at Molly, you smiled back and got everyone ready to go.

"Alright, how about you go first Percy, show them how it's done."

Stepping up and throwing some floo powder into the fire, Percy stepped into the flames and spoke out-loud, very clearly, "Diagon Alley!".

With a whoosh, and a spurt of flames, Percy was gone and all that was left was the burning fireplace.

"George, Fred, you go next, and don't wander off!"

Giving their mother a cheeky grin and wave the twins hurried off into the fireplace, "Now why would we ever wander off mum"

"Yeah Mum, why would we ever wander off"

Sighing in exasperation, Molly waved the twins off as they disappeared into the green flames. After the twins, Ron went ahead, then Ginny and eventually Arthur and Juni before it was finally Harry and Rose's turn.

"Now just remember Rose, nice and loud, and articulate every word, got it?"

Rose nodded her approval, "Excellent, well off you go dear".

Once again, the fireplace erupted into green flames as Rose departed for Diagon Alley.

"Harry dear, you go next, I'll bring up the rear, go on, just like your sister",

Stepping forward and taking a pinch of floopowder, Harry through it onto the flames and stepped in before saying out-loud and clear, "Diagon Alley!".

The sensation was wild, as Harry spun and felt world around him flow like a raging river. After a few seconds, he came out in a dingy little Alleyway, greeted by the Weasleys, Juni and his sister, the latter striding up to hug her big brother.

"Well done Harry, much more graceful then me"

Harry smiled down at his sister and ruffled her hair, "For someone who's never travelled like that before, I'm sure you did great"

Soon after, Molly joined them and the group moved down the alleyway into a grand sized mall. Looking all around, Harry and Rose took in the sights around them, looking in wonder at the shop fronts filled with all sorts of goods, including animals, books, brooms, robes and wands. Harry was awestruck at the magnificence that was Diagon Alley. Rose similarly was awestruck with the sheer beauty of the Mall. Their dazzlement was broken by Molly walking up to them,

"Now Rose, Harry... Arthur and your Grandmother are going to take you to the Wizarding bank, Gringotts, so that you can get some money out, okay dears? We'll meet you at the ice-cream parlour just down the road there, see?"

Rose and Harry turned their heads to look at a brightly coloured sign reading 'Florean Fortescue's Ice-cream parlour'.

"Thanks Mrs Weasley, we'll meet you back here then when we're done" Harry replied.

Taking his sisters hand and leading her to follow Juni and Arthur, the siblings made their way up Diagon Alley, gawking at the shopfronts, occasionally stopping to look at certain items of interest. One such item happened to be a beautiful snowy owl. Harry thought to himself that as soon as he got some money he was going to buy that bird, no doubts about that. As they continued up the Mall, they came to a large white marble building which somehow defied gravity with its slanted pillars and balconies. Harry and Rose stared up at the building for a few moments before being ushered along by Arthur.

"Come on kids, don't want to keep the goblins waiting"

Harry and Rose looked at him with mild shock on their faces,

"What do you mean, Goblins?"

"Just you wait and see" He said with a smile forming on his face.

The two adults ushered the Potters inside, where they were immediately greeted with a sight to behold. Large counters flanked the isle they were walking up. Behind each of these counters was a funny looking short beast which Harry could only guess was a goblin. They all had rather large, pointed ears, sticking out perpendicular to their heads. Many of them also had large hooked noses and beady black eyes. Rose jabbed him in the arm to stop him from staring, bringing him out of his wondrous trance at once. Walking to the end of the isle, they came up to what appeared to be the head goblin, who was immaculately dressed, examining a large red ruby with a small magnifying glass. He looked up from his work at the newcomers, raising them an inquiring look.

"Can I help you?"

Arthur and Juni stepped forward at this time,

"We're here to withdraw money from the vault of Harry and Rose Potter".

The Goblin looked towards the two siblings with a wary eye before looking back at Arthur,

"Do you have his key"

At this moment, Juni walked forwards and placed a large wrought iron key onto the counter,

"I do, I'm the children's maternal Grandmother"

The goblin looked over the key, and then towards Juni, and then at Arthur, and then lastly at Harry and Rose before finally nodding.

"Come right this way, we shall have a goblin escort you down to the vaults, good-day to you", and with a short bow the goblin returned to work. A smaller goblin appeared from around the corner with a large lantern on a stick.

"My name is Griphook if you'd follow me please, this way to the cart"

The group followed the small goblin off to another small corridor which led them to a large set of tracks with a cart attached to it. Gingerly, the group got into the cart and waited for Griphook to hop in with them. Placing the lantern in the cart, the goblin hopped into the cart and set them off at a rapid speed. Rose gripped onto Harry's hand as fright overcame her from the sudden movement. Harry himself was quite taken aback by the sudden movement, and had to grip onto the side of the cart to stop himself from landing flat on his back. He peered back to look at the two adults, Arthur seemed to be enjoying himself with a large grin on his face, whilst his grandmother had her eyes closed tightly and her hands gripping the back of Rose's seat. After what seemed to be a few minutes, they came to a sudden halt in front of a large iron vault door. Hopping out of the cart, the goblin called for the lantern and set it on a large pole directly in front of the vault door.

"Key please"

Fetching the key from her pocket, Juni handed the wrought iron key to the goblin, who went about opening a small hatch in the door before turning it, causing the door to open with a whine as old cogs and gears worked their magic. The site that beheld Harry and Rose made their breath hitch, as a grand pile of gold, silver and bronze coins stared back at them, glinting in the lamp and brazier light.

"Is…is this all ours?" Harry asked to no one in particular.

His grandmother merely placed a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

"Yes, my dears, you really didn't think your father and mother would leave you two with nothing did you? Your father made sure that you and mother were well looked after".

Harry and Rose smiled up at their grandmother as they walked forwards to examine their newfound wealth.

"Do you need a money bag at all sir, madam?" Griphook asked.

Harry and Rose both nodded in acknowledgment and gratefully took the money bags from Griphook before going and filling it up with a number of coins. Harry was rather reluctant to flaunt his wealth in front of Mr Weasley, knowing full well that the Weasley's weren't the best-off wizarding family. Filling their bags up to the brim, the siblings made their way out of the vault to head back up to the surface. They endured another heart wrenching ride up to the ground floor before making their way out of Gringotts and towards the ice-cream parlour. There they met up with the rest of the Weasley clan, where upon they made their way all around the alley, picking up their school books, robes, cauldrons, potion supplies, and in the case of Rose and Harry, owls. Harry had kept his promise to go and buy the snowy old, naming her Hedwig. Along with Hedwig there was another snowy owl with a deep grey crest, signifying it was a male. Harry bought the owl for Rose, who named him Zeus after the Greek god of lightning.

Rose was ecstatic receiving her own owl, her very first pet. She petted him through the bars in his cage for most of the time going around Diagon Alley, taking an instant liking to him. For his part, Zeus seemed to be taken to Rose instantly as well. Harry was enjoying his new owl as well, Hedwig seemed content with her new owner, if not a bit sassy with him. Their last item on the trip was a wand for Harry and Ron. Making their way to Ollivanders, the siblings made their way in. Prior to arriving at Ollivanders, Harry had convinced Molly to allow him to buy Ron a new wand, seeing as he would be inheriting his brother Charlie's wand instead. Seeing as the Potters were not short of money, Harry thought that this would be a wonderful gift for his new-found friend. It took persistence from both Harry and Rose, and finally Juni, to convince the Weasley Matriarch to give consent. The sealing deal was the fact that wands always had the strongest bond with their first master, and as Ron would be inheriting a wand, he would most likely struggle with most spellwork. Walking into Ollivanders, the eccentric older gentlemen came flying out of nowhere on top of a ladder.

"Harry Potter, I was wondering when you might visit me. Ah! The Weasley clan, what can I do for you today."

Molly stepped forward towards the wandmaker to answer him,

"Hello Mr Ollivander, we've come to get wands for Harry and Ron here, go on boys, step forward",

Ollivander stepped off from his ladder and came sauntering over to the two boys, he started by measuring the length of their wand arms, and their height, before going into the back to look for some wands.

"Now, Mr Weasley, I might start with you, here, try this. Holly, 10 ¾' Unicorn hair",

Handing the wand to Ron, Ollivander waved his hands in an encouraging tone for Ron to move his wand. Giving his new wand a swish through the air, a dozen wand cases flew out from the wall.

"Ah definitely not for you, alright alright, how about this one, cherry, 11", Dragon heartstring",

Handing the wand to Ron he once again encouraged the boy to wave it around, this time however the ladder that previously held Ollivander flew down into the depths of the store.

"Nope, nope not that one either, alright, how about this! Willow, 14", Unicorn hair",

Handing the wand to Ron once more, the tip of the wand shot out red sparks as a warmth spread throughout the young Weasley's body, signifying that it had found its match.

"Excellent, excellent! That's you sorted out Mr Weasley, now, Mr Potter, would you be as so kind to step forward"

Taking a step forward, Harry anticipated what was to come next, hopping that they could find a wand for him,

"Alright Mr Potter, try this one, Beechwood, 9", Dragon heartstring"

Taking the wand, Harry swished the long piece of wood in a stylish fashion, causing a vase to blow into bits.

"No, no, no, that won't do, here, Maple, 7" Phoenix feather",

Once again, giving the wand a wave, Harry caused a number of wands to shoot out from the wall.

"No not that one either, here, try this, Ebony, 8 ½ ", Unicorn hair",

Before Harry could even wave the wand this time, Ollivander snatched it up from him,

"No, no that won't do either. I wonder, oh yes, well, its work a try. Here Mr Potter, try this one, Holly, 11" Phoenix feather".

Almost immediately the result was known as warmth spread up Harry's body and red sparks shot out from the end.

"Brilliant my dear boy! Fantastic!" Ollivander looked oddly at Harry for a moment "Though very curious. Very curious indeed".

Looking at the old wandmaker, Harry spoke up in the first time in a while,

"What's curious sir?"

"I remember every wand I've ever sold Mr Potter, like your mothers, Willow, 10 ¼", Unicorn hair. And your father, Mahogany, 11" Dragon heartstring. It so happens that the phoenix feather in your wand came from a phoenix which only dropped two feathers. The other feather, its brother, resides in the wand…that gave you that scar"

Ollivander said the last part of his explanation pointing to the famous lightning bolt scar which crowned Harry's forehead. Nodding grimly, Harry took his wand and paid for his and Ron's, costing 15 Galleons all up. With their business done in Diagon Alley, the group made their way to the Leaky Cauldron, right at the end of Diagon Alley, to have a nice lunch and enjoy each-others company. However, it soon proved more of an annoyance then a pleasure going to the pub once the patrons found out that Harry and Rose were in the building. Dozens of Witches and Wizards lined up to shake their hands and bid them congratulations for their 'victory' 10 years ago. One such well-wisher was the new Defence against the Dark Arts (DADA) teacher, Professor Quirrell. Stuttering and stumbling a bit, the timid professor made his way up to the line to welcome the two Potters,

"M-Mr P-potter, an-and Ms Potter, W-what a pri-privilege this i-is to meet you both. M-my name is pro-professor Quirrell, and I'll b-be your new de-defence against the dark arts t-teacher. I look for-forward to teaching you b-both"

Harry eyed the man sceptically, as if this stuttering fool could teach us anything, but none the less the young boy respected him as an elder and an educator. Sticking out his hand to shake Quirrell's, Harry was taken aback by his sudden fear of doing so,

"Sorr-sorry dear boy, I've got a na-nasty bout of contagious sk-skin disease, wouldn't want y-you to get it".

Nodding his head in understanding, Harry bid the strange professor fair well before turning to his sister who just stared at him with the same sceptical look,

"He's really going to be teaching you? It'll take twice as long to learn anything with his stutter" Rose stated,

"I'm sure he got the job for a very good reason, for all we know he may be a fantastic teacher, so don't judge until you've tried" Harry reprimanded,

Eventually they were left alone after Tom the barman threatened to throw everyone out if they didn't leave the group alone. They found themselves a large table in one of the corners before going and ordering their food. Most of the table chose to just go with the lunchtime special of steak and chips. The group enjoyed light conversation throughout the meal, with Ginny and Harry stealing glances at each other every so often. Rose noticed this and gave her brother a little kick under the table to remind him of where he was and who he was with, most importantly, her older brothers, father and mother. So instead of ogling his newfound crush, Harry went about talking to the twins and Ron about life at Hogwarts.

"It's fantastic you know" Fred Stated

"Yeah, really fantastic" George repeated

"Dumbledore is a bit mad"

"Just a little off his rocker"

"But he really is a fantastic professor"

"probably the best"

"lets us get away with almost anything"

"Even blew up a toilet"

"And all he did was repair it and send us on our way"

"McGonagall on the other hand"

"strict old bat"

"but one hell of a teacher"

"George! Language!" stated Molly interrupting,

"Sorry Mum, anyway, once you get past the troll at the beginning of term, you lot will be fine"

Harry and Ron looked George with shocked looks on their faces, thinking about the possibility of having to face down a fully-grown troll in order to enter the school they desperately wanted to be part of. At this point, Percy decided to speak up and reassure the two boys.

"Don't listen to these two, all that happens is you get sorted into houses by the sorting hats, no you have to face the troll in order to pass the first year, that's all"

Fred and George gave their elder brother a look of shock at his quite clear lie to scare the two boys,

"Perce mate, we didn't know you had it in you to be a joker" Fred stated, grinning at his elder brother,

"Yeah Perce, since when did you become such a laugh, that's our job normally" George repeated.

Percy merely gave his twin younger brothers a smile and continued on eating his meal. Meanwhile, across the table, Rose and Ginny sat huddled into each-other speaking in low whispers so that no one else could hear them

"You really think he fancies me?"

Rose gave Ginny an exasperated look before placing her hand on her shoulder and speaking,

"Ginny, twice today I've had to tell Harry to quit staring at you in fear of being beaten by your brothers, I think my dear elder brother does indeed fancy you" Rose thought twice about mentioning what Harry and her had discussed the day they had met the Weasleys for the first time.

Ginny broke out into a huge grin as her face began to become the same shade of her hair. The young Weasley girl merely giggled as she looked over at the raven-haired boy she fancied too. She indeed was sharing the same feelings that Harry had discussed with Rose. Although it worried her somewhat to be feeling what could only be described as love for a boy she had only just met, the fact that it was _the_ Harry Potter, the boy whose stories she grew up with, did send jitters down her spine. Unfortunately for her, her nerves were getting in her way, and having the courage to do something about this crush seemed to be proving quite difficult, hence her current conversation with Rose.

"What do you think I should do then? There's no way I'm going up there and just blurting out that I fancy him!"

Rose giggled at her friend's shyness and merely placed her hand on Ginny's and gave it a light squeeze,

'No, you're right and in all honestly we're all a bit too young to be thinking about relationships, I mean, we've barely stopped making mud pies, going from that to snogging is quite a change."

Ginny merely blushed deeper as she nodded her understanding,

"So maybe wait a few years, or wait until he picks up his own courage to actually ask you out"

"But what if he moves on! What if he doesn't like me next year or the year after!"

Ginny started to panic as her childhood crush furthered and furthered away from becoming reality.

"Don't be silly Ginny, if he's noticing you now, I doubt he's not going to notice you even more once you start to grow up. In fact, I venture to say he won't be able to take his eyes off you."

Ginny looked relieved at this thought, and physically relaxed herself from the stress she was giving herself. The two continued on with the conversation, as did the boys and the adults, until about 40 minutes later, when everyone was done and full. Paying the bill and departing by floo to the Burrow, the group thought back on the day and deemed it a very productive afternoon. Molly convinced Juni to stay for dinner and to invite Alex over to join them. Juni quickly agreed and returned with her husband just before dinner preparations had commenced. Setting up outside, the three families enjoyed themselves as they chatted amongst themselves. Everyone enjoyed themselves as they sat around and chatted amongst themselves, or went off and played games in the case of the children. The night ended up being concluded by an impressive display of fireworks by the twins that set Mrs Weasley off until she finally succumbed to the agreement that the twins had done an impressive job. The group finally fell victim to tiredness and decided to call it a night. Arriving back at home from their long day out, Rose and Harry made their way to their room and flopped down on the bed, scattering their shopping around the room to be taken care of later.

"So, Harry, are you going to miss me when you go off to Hogwarts?"

Harry chuckled at his sister's question, knowing full well she knew that he'd miss her,

"Am I going to miss you? Of course not, I'll be too busy becoming a wizard and having fun to remember my little kid sister"

Rose sat up and pouted at her big brother, punching him lightly on the arm,

"You're a git, you are _so_ going to miss me"

"Of course, I'm going to miss you, we've been together for every single day of our lives, this is the first time we'll be away from each other."

Harry reached up and brushed Rose's tears away as they started to fall from her eyes,

"Don't cry little sis, it'll only be for a year, then you'll be there with me and begging to get away from me"

Rose let out a little giggle as she thought about trying to get away from an overprotective big brother.

"And besides, you'll be here with Grandma and Grandpa, and Ginny, I'm sure you two will keep each other busy"

"I bet you'll miss Ginny too won't you, lover boy"

Harry's face began to redden as he failed to form any words from his embarrassment,

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, and besides, it's not like it'll be long, I'll be home for Christmas with Ron and his brothers"

Rose perked up with the idea of Harry being there for Christmas, maybe their first proper Christmas ever, with real presents rather than the penny's and socks they would normally get, if they were lucky.

"Speaking of Christmas and presents, what do you want for your birthday Harry, it is next week after all"

Harry gave his sisters question a bit of thought before replying,

"Just get me whatever you want to get me, nothing too expensive. You know anything from you will be special to me"

Rose grinned at Harry as cruel ideas started to form in her mind,

"Alright, so I'll get you a dress and some knickers, shall I? I'm sure I can find something that will bring out your eyes,"

Harry's eyes widened in fear at the thought of being bought girls clothes, let alone being presented them in front of other people, including his crush.

"Don't you dare, otherwise I'll get you mint chocolate for your birthday!"

Rose dry heaved at the thought of mint chocolate, her absolute least favourite food,

"Oh, lordy I think I might be sick, that would be too cruel Harry"

"That's the point, isn't it?"

Harry laughed as his sister shot him a murderous look his way before rolling over and begin to ignore him,

"What do you want for _your_ birthday anyway sis"

Perking up at hearing talk of her own birthday, Rose rolled back over to face her brother,

"Maybe a pony?"

"Nice try Rose" Harry snorted

"Just get me whatever Harry, sweets, a book, _dresses,_ maybe even knickknacks, I don't mind, as long as it's from you"

"Then it's agreed, we'll get each other whatever we think the other will like, and they'll just have to put up with it."

"Sounds like a plan big bro"

Harry gave Rose a smile and stroked her hair,

"Right you, I think its bed time, I don't know about you but I'm exhausted"

Rose tried to argue, but as she did a large yawn escaped her mouth, even as she tried to cover it with both her hands,

"Exactly, and I think you're exhausted too"

"Oh alright, night Harry, I love you"

Harry gave his sister a kiss on her forehead before rolling over onto his back,

"Love you too Rose, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite"

Rose smiled at her brother's foolish remark. Shutting her eyes, Rose succumbed to slumber, letting the days happy thoughts and memories come flooding through as she drifted off to Neverland.


	4. Birthdays

**Birthdays, Movies, and the Brothers: Chapter four**

The next few days were filled with excitement as plans for Harry's 11th birthday were drawn up, and supplies bought. Rose had approached her Grandma a couple of days before hand and asked whether or not any of her father's things were left in the house. Juni smiled at her granddaughter before taking her up the stairs and to a manhole in the first-floor roof, leading to the attic. Up in the attic were bits and bobs of old mismatched pieces of furniture, boxes upon boxes of old clothes and family knickknacks, children's toys and just random junk. Juni pulled out an old wooden chest with bronze handles flanking it. Setting the chest down on the ground, Juni opened it up and turned it around to Rose. Staring up at her were a number of personal items, including ribbons, medals, books, photographs, knickknacks and a golden orb. Sifting through the chest, Rose spent a good 20 minutes trying to find something fitting to give to Harry. Finally, after almost half an hour, Rose found what she was looking for. Pulling out the three items she chose, she sat them down next to her carefully, trying not to damage them in anyway. Finishing up in the attic, Juni and Rose made their way down again, Rose making her way to her bedroom to try and hide her presents from Harry's prying eyes. Her brother was currently over at the Weasleys, enjoying himself by playing Quidditch, which Ron and the Twins had introduced him too.

Harry was currently flying through the air on one of the Weasleys old family brooms, cutting through the sky like a graceful hawk as he swooped in and out of the attacking twins, scoring another goal for him and Ron. The foursome had agreed to play a friendly game of scratch Quidditch, playing until one team scored 100 points. Currently Ron and Harry sat on 70 whilst the twins sat on 40. The Weasleys had been quite impressed by Harry's almost inborn flying skill, handling himself on the broom like it was a fifth limb. Not only did Harry have almost unnatural flying skill, he was brilliant with the ball as well, catching every single throw from Ron and even intercepting a number of throws between the twins. By the late afternoon, the boys had called it quits after Harry and Ron scored their last goal.

"Seriously Harry, are you sure you haven't played before" asked George as he came in to land on his broom,

"Yeah Harry, where'd you learn to fly and play like that, you'd make a fair chaser" Fred stated as he too came in to land

Harry shook his head as he answered the twins, "I don't know, my only guess is that it runs in my blood, Dad was an amazing chaser apparently. Other than that, I have no idea, I've lived with muggles for the last 10 years, not a lot of chance to ride broomsticks you know."

Ron came in to land next to his friend as he patted him on the back, "Well whatever it is, I hope you get picked up by the team this year, you could be brilliant,"

Harry shrugged as they all started walking off towards the broom shed, "Maybe, maybe not, don't really know how I'll go with more people and in proper conditions, it is a bit tame just playing in the backyard."

Fred clapped him on the shoulder as he reached for the broom shed door, "True that, but from what we've seen today, I think you'd do brilliant on the pitch."

The foursome made their way back inside to a feast of sandwiches, pumpkin juice, biscuits and tea that Molly had prepared for when they came back inside.

"How'd you go boys, did you let Harry and Ron win boys,"

The boys let out a laugh as they came and sat down at the table, "didn't have to mum, Harry flogged us right and proper, gonna be a fair flyer this one," said George,

"That's for sure, we'll have to get Wood to sign him up hey Feorge,"

"Couldn't agree more Gred"

Molly chuckled at her boy's antics as she came and sat with them, "We'll your father was a fair flyer himself Harry, there's no doubt that he's passed that skill on to you, maybe your sister as well, has she flown yet?"

Harry shook his head at Molly as he took a bite of his biscuit before answering, "No, Rose is a bit too paranoid of falling off at the moment, I tried to get her to fly with me but she downright refused, stating that if we were meant to fly we would have had wings."

The table let out a chuckle of laughter at the young Potters remark, "You and your sister are a right old hoot Harry, are you sure you're not part Weasley" George asked

"Yeah Harry, are you sure you don't just dye your hair black, I mean Rose is basically a Weasley with that hair of hers" Fred continued,

Harry laughed at the twin's comments and shook his head at them,

"Afraid not boys, we're as Potter as they come according to my Gran, although she did say dad was a prankster when he was at school, so it would explain a lot",

The table enjoyed their light conversation and before long it was time for Harry to head home for dinner. His birthday was only in a couple of days-time, so preparations around the Evans home was frantic as tables were found and brought out, food made, and a cake assembled. The Weasleys would of course be coming, along with those residing in the Evans home. Along with the obvious guests, Molly and Juni had invited a number of friends of James and Lily, including Rubeus Hagrid, the games keeper at Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. On the morning of the 31st of July, Harry awoke to having his sister hit him with a pillow at 7 in the morning.

"ROOOSE, why would you do this, it's too early, and it's my birthday" Harry mumbled as he buried his head under his pillow,

Rose's attacks did not cease as she continued to pelt him with her pillow until finally he got up and grabbed her, tickling her, "AHHH HARRYYY, STOOPPP", Rose screamed out between her fits of laughter from Harry's attacks,

"Not till you apologize for waking me up at this god-awful hour",

"I'm sorry Harry, I'm sorry!"

Harry finally ceased his attacks and jumped off the bed, rearing to begin the day now that he was full of energy. He gave Rose a kiss on the cheek as usual and headed for the bathroom to get ready.

Half an hour later, Harry was making his way downstairs with Rose on his tail. Walking into the dining room, Harry was greeted by his smiling family,

"Happy birthday my sweetheart!" Juni said as she came and assaulted Harry's cheeks with kisses,

"Happy birthday Harry, presents now or later?" Asked Alex as he came over and gave his Grandson a hug,

"Thank you, Grandma, Grandpa, this is wonderful, I think I can hold off on presents for now",

"Awh why not know Harry, I want you to open what I got you!" Rose exclaimed as she jumped in front of him,

"Later Rose, later, don't you worry, I'm sure I'll love whatever you got me" laughed Harry, petting his sister on the head.

Taking a seat back down next to his sister, Harry waited patiently as Juni whipped up a fantastic Birthday breakfast for Harry as him and Rose. The morning was relaxing as Harry and his family enjoyed themselves on the front porch with a lovely pot of tea, awaiting the Weasley family who'd be coming over to spend the day there before having dinner that night.

At roughly 10 o'clock, the Weasley clan arrived in their magically enhanced Ford Angila, stepping out of what could literally be a clown car, as the four boys and one girl hopped out from the back of the small car. Harry smiled as his new friends came and greeted him with happy birthdays and a number of presents,

"Happy Birthday mate, can't wait for you to open these tonight" Ron said as he passed Harry his gift,

"Happy Birthday Hazza"

"Yeah Happy Birthday Hazza mate", the twins greeted as they two handed him a present,

"Happy Birthday Harry, I hope you have been enjoying yourself", Percy had rather pompously greeted as he too handed Harry a present,

"Oh Harry dear, Happy Birthday, you're going to have a fantastic time tonight" Molly greeted as she wrapped Harry into one of her world famous bear hugs,

"Harry my Boy, happy birthday, Molly and I got you something, I'm sure you'll find plenty of use for it at Hogwarts" said Arthur as he passed Harry the elder Weasley's present before shaking the young Potters hand.

Last to wish Harry a happy birthday was Ginny, who nervously sat at the back of the line, waiting her turn,

"H-Happy birthday H-Harry…I-I hope you like my g-gift" Ginny stuttered as she gave Harry his present,

Harry shocked the poor girl by grabbing her into an embrace as thanks, causing both young children to blush furiously,

"Thank you, Ginny, you didn't have to",

Ginny gave him shy little smile as they pulled away from each other and headed back into the house. Most of the day was spent playing all sorts of wizarding games, and lastly introducing the Weasley children to Muggle films. Rose and Harry and found a stack of old VCR movies from their grandparents. Digging through them, Harry had found a comedy trio called the three stooges which he thought the twins would enjoy immensely. Harry certainly wasn't wrong, and not long after putting it on, the whole group was bursting with laughter. Even Percy, who stayed only for a few minutes before leaving to talk to the elder guests, seemed to laugh at the small bit he saw.

"Far out Harry, I didn't know muggles could be so funny, you could learn a thing or two George, Fred" Ron stated, turning around to talk to them,

The twins responded by throwing a piece of popcorn at their brother, who quickly tried to duck out the way of the incoming barrage. The group of young teens sat and watched the comedy show set for a number of hours, never ceasing to laugh at the rustic humour. Eventually the kids got bored and decided to go outside and learn some muggle sports games. Harry soon had them going about with a scratch match of football. Even Ron, who was renowned for his poor foot coordination in sports, seemed to be handling himself alright. Percy had even come around to referee the game after a quick explanation by Harry, and soon the whole family watched on and cheered for the teams, none more excited than Arthur, who loved all things muggle. Soon enough, Arthur  
conned Alex into joining in with the kids, and after going through the rules with the elder Weasley quickly, the two adults joined separate teams. Unfortunately for the all Weasley team consisting of the twins, Ginny and Arthur, the mixed Potter, Evans and Weasley team had more than one player who had played before. Alex had played for many years at a local club and as such dominated the playing field very similar to how Harry had done on the Quidditch pitch a few days prior. Before the hour was up, the mixed team was up 14 goals to the all Weasley team. Calling it quits by then, the two teams walked off in laughter at the fun that they had endured together.

"I say Harry, you we must play that again! I should speak to the head of magical games and sports and tell him to set up a magical football match!" Arthur stated enthusiastically.

Harry chuckled at the elder Weasley, never meeting anyone so passionate about what seemed normal to him. By 5 in the evening, the group had settled down at the table awaiting their last two guests from Hogwarts. They didn't have to wait long, as at the halfway mark of the long drive way, two figures, one _very_ tall, appeared out of nowhere and started to make their way up to the house.

For Hagrid, this would be the first time in 10 years that either of them had seen the young Potter children, and even Dumbledore, who had rescued them from their abusive relativies and was considered the greatest wizard of the century, defeater of Grindalwald, was a tad bit nervous.

"Say 'eadmaster, you ain't nervous are ye?" Hagrid the half giant asked,

The old professor merely smiled up at his old friend before replying,

"Hagrid old friend, I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a tad bit nervous, but we must all face our fears, or even mistakes",

The two continued on up to the front door, making idle chatter about dragons and lemon drops, until they reached the front were their hosts were waiting to greet them,

Dumbledore made his way up to the front porch before greeting those waiting for him,

"Ah, Juniper, Alexander, I must thank you for the invitation, especially after our last meeting. Molly and Arthur, it is good to see you too, I hope the twins haven't been giving you a rough time"

The four adults all said their greetings to the old headmaster and games keeper before ushering them inside to were the children were currently seated. Entering the room, Dumbledore spotted the two Potter siblings and gave them a wide, warm smile before greeting the whole room,

"Ah, it is so wonderful to see so many young people enjoying themselves on a remarkable day like today. Percy, it is good to see you again, I hope you are quite prepared for your Owl's this year. Fred, George, I'm glad to see that you are keeping up with your humorous ways. Young Ginevra, my you've grown since I last saw you, I look forward to having you at Hogwarts next year."

The headmaster finished greeting the Weasley children before setting down a large box on the table of presents and making his way over to the two Potters,

"Oh, but how could I forget you two. I'm glad to see that the pair of you are much happier now that you are with people that truly love you. I have thought about the night we met once more many times since then what I should say to you the next time we met, but I do believe a simple happy birthday will suffice for today, don't you agree Mr Potter?"

Harry stared up in gratitude at the older wizard who he remembered rescued him and his sister from the Dursleys, "Yes Professor, I do believe that will suffice greatly" Harry finally replied,

The old headmaster smiled at the young boy before taking the seat next to them,

"I must confess my dear…dear children, I regret terribly the danger I put you in placing you with your abusive uncle and aunt, however I am glad to see that your grandparents are giving you the love and care that you each deserve".

Harry merely waved off the idea and reassured the professor that they were quite alright,

"It's alright professor, we have our family now, and we always had each other, that's all that counts. Besides, we should be thanking you for rescuing us from the _place_ ", Harry said this last piece whilst grabbing Rose's hand, giving it a tight squeeze, earning him a smile from his beloved sibling.

As the three were finishing their conversation, Hagrid finally joined them in the dining room, which barely contained him.

"Blimey would ye look at you two. You'se were barely a baby last I saw you Rose, and 'arry, you've grown up so much, oh my, seems like only yesterday that I picked you up from Godrics Hollow after…after that horrible night",

The half-giant couldn't hold it in anymore and allowed for tears to fall from his face. Seeing his discomfort, the two siblings stood up and gave the big huggable bear of a man a loving embrace.

"It's nice to meet you Hagrid, even if we have met before and we can't remember" said Rose as she stepped back from the embrace,

"Oh Rosey, you look so much like your mother, 'cept you got your dads eyes, and you 'arry! You look just like your dad 'cept you got your mums eyes! James and Lily would be so proud of ye lot",

Harry looked up at the giant man and broke out in a huge grin,

"Don't worry Hagrid, we've been told that plenty of times, and we can't help but agree".

The rest of the party goers eventually made their way back to the table to join in the festivities. Dumbledore had to conjure a specifically well-made chair for Hagrid to sit on, lest one of the finer, smaller chairs, collapse under his immense weight. Ginny had somehow ended up opposite Harry, much to her dismay, as those emerald green eyes would flicker past her, making her swoon and blush at the sight of them. Harry likewise was distressed that he had to endure looking at Ginny's deep, warm chocolate eyes which melted his heart and twisted his tongue if he stared to long into. Rose noticed all this, and quite happily kicked her brother under the table before shooting him a smug little smile. Juni and Molly had pulled out all the stops for Harry's birthday dinner, roasting a number of meats, including beef, lamb and pork, and creating jugs full of gravy. Pea's and potatoes and carrots piled high into bowls graced the table, as the group greedily tucked in to the feast that awaited them. Hagrid himself managed to eat a whole roast beef to himself, plus a bowl of veg and potatoes. To finish off the meal, Molly and Juni brought out a large red velvet cake, glazed with a treacle and cinnamon, butter icing in a lovely rectangular shape. The group quite happily sung the young Potter happy birthday, with Dumbledore himself conducting the rag shag orchestra, much to the enjoyment of the twins who managed to sing the whole song as a Gregorian chant. Soon, it was present time, as the group retired to the living room, with a roaring fire prepared by Alex earlier, and treacle tart and tea made by Molly. Arthur and Molly had taken the pleasure to levitate the large stack of presents to the living room end table, sprawling them along the table in order for everyone to see. Harry sat next to his sister and Ron, on the floor as he began to open up his presents.

"Finally, present time" Rose exclaimed.

Harry merely rolled his eyes as he picked up the first present, from Molly and Arthur. The Elder Weasleys had chipped in to buy material for Molly to make Harry a beautiful red silk scarf. The long piece of fabric was simply divine to touch, let alone wrap around your neck. Harry got up and quickly hugged the two elder Weasleys, much to their surprise, before retreating to open more presents. Next was Percy's, who had gotten him a charmed week-planer which screamed at you if you forgot to finish an assignment. Harry thanked Percy, rather reluctantly, before moving onto the twins, who had gotten him a large assortment of prank items and sweets, much to the dismay of Molly. Thanking them both, Harry moved on to Ron's present, who had bought him a lovely pair of leather Quidditch gloves.

"I know what you're gonna say, 'I won't get on the team this year', well even if you don't get on the team this year, you're gonna get on it sometime, the way you play. And even if you don't, you can use them playing against us",

"Thanks Ron, I really appreciate this, I'll make sure to put them to good use",

Placing the gloves to one side, Harry picked up the next present, Ginny's. Harry was a tad nervous to open it, but did so nonetheless. Inside of the finely wrapped box was a small figurine, a white snowy owl, much like Hedwig who was currently out on the hunt. As soon as the small owl was placed in Harry's hand, it began to hoot and took off around the room before landing back down on Harry's hand. Harry's face lit up at this wonderful gift he had received, admiring it in all its beauty, before  
finally standing up and embracing the young Weasley girl in appreciation.

"Thank you so much Ginny! It's wonderful, truly amazing, thank you!"

Ginny couldn't help but feel over the moon at Harry's appreciation, but at the same time, couldn't help feeling nervous at her crushes touch.

"Y-you're welcome Harry, it was m-my pleasure",

Returning to their spots, both as red as Ginny's hair, the two elder Weasleys and elder Evans gave their partners a knowing look at what they had just witnessed, smiling at the thought of puppy love. The next present Harry opened came from his Grandparents. Opening the box, a large collection of new clothes greeted Harry, who up until a few weeks ago had to endure Dudley's old handy downs. Getting up and thanking his Grandparents,

"Thank you so much Grandma, Grandpa, this means so much to me" Harry beamed at his grandparents,

"You're welcome my dear, now go on an open the rest of your presents" Juni petted her grandsons' cheek,

Sitting back down in his spot, Harry got back to opening his presents, moving on to Hagrid's, which contained a box of what Hagrid called 'rock cakes'. More importantly however was the smaller box which resided in there with the cakes. Inside the small box was two strands of hair…one black, the other auburn.

"T'was one of the las' things I could grab when I came and grabbed ye both. I'm assuming it's ye first locks of hair when ye were little ones".

Harry slowly took out the two, finely bound pieces of hair, examining and smelling each before passing them to his sister. They smelled of a sweet soap, made of what smelt like strawberry and cinnamon. Rose was conflicted on what she was feeling. On the one hand, she was amazed and ecstatic to hold something of a time long past, a time where both her parents were alive. But on the other hand, she was mournful and grief stricken as the thoughts of what might have happened if her parents had lived, what else would be in this box, would their baby teeth be in there? Slowly handing back the two pieces of hair, tears started to stream down her face. Looking over to her brother she could see that he too had tears rolling down his face. Seeing the distress in her eyes, Harry leaned forward and grabbed his sister in a tight embrace, letting her cry into his shoulder. When her sobs stopped, and his own tears subsided, Harry turned to Hagrid and stood up, with Rose close behind, and embraced him in a grand Hug.

"Thank you so much Hagrid, you have no idea how much this means to us. Thank you…thank you"

Harry pulled away to see tears forming in the half-giant's eyes. Smiling up at him, Harry took Rose's hand and led her back down to the floor where He picked up the next present, which came from none other than Dumbledore. Opening it, Harry marvelled at the fine silk texture of the apparent cloak he had received from the old professor.

"Why don't you try it on my dear boy" Dumbledore said,

Taking the professors advice, harry stood up and wrapped it around his shoulders. Immediately there were gasps from all around the room. Looking down he noticed that he could no longer see his feet, let alone anything else below the neck.

"Wicked Harry!" The twins called out,

"Ah professor, what exactly is this?"

Dumbledore smiled at the young potter as he removed the cloak off of his shoulders.

"That my dear boy, was a possession of your dear fathers that he lent me just before he died. It is a remarkable invisibility cloak, one of the finest I have ever seen, and you would be wise to keep it safe at all times, and to use it well".

Harry could have sworn he saw a sly grin form on the professor's mouth as we stuffed the cloak back into the box it came from.

"Thank you so much professor, I'll make sure to look after it well" Harry replied, smiling at the old headmaster.

Lastly, Harry had a large box from his sister. Grinning at her he took it into his lap and began to open it.

"Hope you didn't blow our whole inheritance on this gift Rose" Harry joked.

"Why don't you open it and have a look dear brother" Rose laughed back.

Putting the wrappings to one side, Harry opened up the lid of the large box and took in a sharp breath. Staring up at him were three beautiful objects. A silver case, possibly for glasses Harry thought, a rectangular golden case with intricate markings on it, including a fine brown stag, and lastly, a beautiful bright burgundy and gold scarf, with little roaring lions at each end. Harry stared gobsmacked at the beautiful objects that stared back at him.

"They're all dads, his glasses case, quill case and school scarf…I found them in the attic".

Before Rose could say anything else, Harry lunged at her and pulled her into a tight embrace, landing kisses on both her cheeks.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, Rose you are the best! I love you so much!",

Harry was over the moon with the gifts Rose had gotten him. The glasses case was beautifully crafted silver, with the Initials J.C.P on the top. The inside was layered with a fine burgundy coloured velvet with small pictures of various types of glasses stitched into it. The quill case once again had the initials J.C.P, and inside was a number of beautiful silver coated quills, and a number of slots which could only be for ink. On the far-right corner of the underside of the lid sat a beautifully  
drawn etching of a young couple, who Harry could only assume was his parents when they were at Hogwarts. The scarf, Ron and the twins had explained, was a Gryffindor house scarf, in its traditional colours and emblem, the roaring lion. Harry once again thanked all those who had gotten him presents, and went about carefully placing them upstairs in his and Rose's room. Coming back downstairs, Harry took a seat back down next to his sister and joined in on the small talk that filled the room. At some point, Dumbledore had come over and conjured up a chair next to the two Potters.

"I'm afraid I must depart soon Harry, however if you wish to ask me anything about Hogwarts, anything at all, please feel free to do so now".

"What should I do to be prepared for school professor?" Harry asked,

The old professor smiled down at the boy before replying, "My dear boy, read your textbooks, practice incantations, read up on potions, and practice wand movements. I'm sure the Weasleys won't mind you practicing magic under their supervision".

Harry nodded his acknowledgement at the old professor, thanking him for the advice,

"Thanks professor, I might just do that tonight, I'm sure Rose won't mind me staying up till midnight to study",

"If you even dare keep me from my beloved sleep, I well throw your books in a cupboard and throw away the key until you go off" Rose replied, slapping her brother on the arm.

Chuckling at the sibling's antics, the professor excused himself and dragged Hagrid off with him back to Hogwarts. Bidding everyone a goodnight, Dumbledore and Hagrid apparated away and back to the sanctuary that was Hogwarts. Soon most of the party were making plans to move, and before long the house was emptied of the Weasleys, leaving the Potters and Evans alone in their house once more. Harry thanked his grandparents one last time before departing for bed where Rose was already set up for bed.

That night, Harry sifted through his new belongings, particularly the owl Ginny had gotten him, and his father's belongings. Rose had warned him that if he stayed up any later then 11, she would flog him till he started seeing stars. Harry, taking his sisters threats very seriously, made sure to have his light out by 10:59, setting his glasses in his 'new' case, and placing mini-Hedwig next to them. Drifting off to sleep, Harry couldn't help but smile at the wonder that had happened to him today.  
The presents, the food, and most importantly the love that he received was phenomenal. He only hoped that Rose's birthday was just as good whilst he was away at Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, he would miss it, as it fell on the 3rd of September, only a couple of days after he left for school. Still, Harry had a plan to get her presents to her on the day, if only he could find a present worth giving to her after the amazing gifts she got him. Not dwelling on it, Harry shut his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a reality where him and his sister were one big happy family with their parents still alive.

The first week of August flew by, as the Potter and Weasley children went in between houses to play whatever they felt like, and learning different spells from Molly at the advice of Dumbledore. In the evenings Harry would sit with Rose and go through his textbooks, specifically his potions textbook, being drawn to it for no apparent reason. Soon however, the 10th came around and Harry realized that he still hadn't gotten anything for Ginny, whose birthday was on the 11th. Desperately, Harry asked Rose what he should get her, without coming off as creepy or uncaring.

"Harry, why don't you just get her a book, I'm sure she'll like that",

"I can't get her a book Rose, that's just so…boring and generic",

"Well, what about jewellery?"

"If I get her jewellery I might come off as desperate, or worse yet a creep".

Rose sighed in exasperation as her frustration over her brother's decision making settled in.

"Harry, she likes Quidditch yeah? Why don't you get her a little model broom, I saw some in the same place that she got your owl",

Harry looked at his sister in bewilderment, "You were there when she bought the owl?"

Rose nodded at her brother, "Mmhm, I was the one who gave her the idea. Actually, she was a lot like you are at the moment".

Harry rolled his eyes at his sister's comment as she giggled to herself. It was decided then that Rose, Harry and Juni would make a trip into Diagon Alley later on in the day. It was fortunate that at the direction of Arthur, the Evans house was linked up to the floo network earlier that month, in order to make going to and from the Burrow and Diagon Alley so much easier and quicker. Thus, later on in the morning, the siblings made their way downstairs to ask their Grandma if she would come with  
them to Diagon Alley to shop with them. Juni readily agreed and just before 12 the trio set off for the wizarding mall once more. Half an hour later, Harry was walking out of the magical model shop with a lovely handmade, magically flying model of a Nimbus 2000, the fastest broom in the world at that time. Harry had watched it in the shop as it flew around the room with the little neutral looking rider holding on for dear life. The shop keeper had told them that he could make small adjustments  
to the model if they pleased.

Milling the thought over, Harry agreed to ask the shopkeeper to change the rider's hair to a much longer, fiery red hair variant, keeping the face blank, and giving the rider a feminine build. Arriving back at the Evans house, Harry tucked his gift to Ginny away in his room and made his way over to the Weasleys with his sister for another day of fun and adventure. Today the twins had decided to take Harry and Rose off to the village to explore the muggle shops once again.

"It's a right old hoot, these muggles, thinking they know what magic is" Fred exclaimed as they walked towards the village.

"They think that just because you have a deck of cards and some sleight of hand that you're suddenly a wizard. These muggles mate, they're mental" George continued.

They visited a number of stores before, including the so called 'magic' shop, settling down in the local café to enjoy some lunch and drinks. The twins had managed to scab some muggle Pounds off their parents in order to pay for lunch. Enjoying a nice filled baguette and soft drink, the kids soon got into the rhythm of conversation as they sat there enjoying each-others company.

"So, Ron, whatcha get Ginny for her Birthday, a pack of glue like last year?" said Fred, teasing his little brother.

"Oh shut it Fred, and I'm not tellin' you what I got her, otherwise it'll spoil the surprise won't it".

The twins rolled their eyes at the thought of their brother keeping a secret, knowing full well they'll hear it from him later.

"Alright then, what about you Harry, what did you get our dear beloved sister" George asked,

Harry spluttered a bit of his drink as he registered what George had just asked him,

"T-that's a surprise isn't it now, can't tell you while G-Ginny's here can I",

"Oh come on you lot, none of you are fun", Fred replied in an exasperated tone.

The group continued on with their meals, finishing up a little while later before making their way back to the Burrow for a scratch match of Quidditch. The 10th passed by and before long it was the 11th. The Weasleys had invited the Evans and Potters over to the Burrow for Ginny's birthday dinner later that night, not that Rose and Harry wouldn't be there earlier.

"So, have you got Ginny's present all wrapped up nicely ready for tonight?" Rose asked her brother as they made their way downstairs to floo over to the Burrow.

"Of course I have, I even used that nice wrapping paper you got in the village",

"Did you get her a card? Card are important you know"

"I don't need to get her a card, I'm right there, I can wish her a happy birthday myself. Besides, I didn't get any cards for my birthday"

"That's because you don't care about cards"

"Well how do you know if Ginny cares about cards?"

Rose mulled this over in her mind as she picked up some floo powder and threw it into the fire,

"Good point, 'spose I don't know"

"That's a change", Harry joked, earning him a slap on the arm from Rose,

"Hurry up and get in there, I'll come in after" said Rose,

Harry stepped in and clearly said aloud ' _The Burrow',_ before being magically whooshed away to the other side of the village. Harry was greeted by the twins who were the first to spot him coming out of the fireplace,

"Wotcher Harry" the twins greeted in unison,

"Come to tongue tie our sister again" exclaimed Fred,

"Or turn her red again" George continued,

"I don't know what you're talking about fella's" Harry merely stated as he made his way towards the kitchen where Ron was currently sitting with his sister. Upon seeing Harry, carrying a present for her no less, she immediately turned a bright red. Harry sat the present down in front of her and wished her a happy birthday,

"Happy Birthday Ginny, I only got you something small, I hope you don't mind?"

Ginny nodded up at Harry as she stood up to embrace the boy,

"Th-thank you Harry, y-you didn't have too",

Breaking the embrace, Harry went and sat next to Ron to discuss the days plans,

"So, Ginny, what do you want to do today? Once Rose gets here we can do anything you want", Ron told his sister,

"Once I get here we can do what?" Came Rose's voice at the edge of the kitchen,

Harry turned around to greet his sister as she came and sat down next to Ginny, giving her a hug and her present,

"Happy birthday Ginny, did the boys give you a hard time till I showed up?",

Ginny chuckled at her friend before replying, "No, Harry just got here, and the boys have been doing a good job of keeping on my good-side",

"That's because you'll get mum to hex us if you think we're being mean at all", Ron quipped,

"As it should be, I'm the youngest, and the only girl, so I get special privileges" Ginny replied, sticking her tongue out at her brother.

Harry laughed at Ginny's antics, earning him a smile from said girl, along with causing her to blush.

"Alright but seriously what are we going to do today? I'm up for anything" Rose added.

"I say we take our dear sister to go see one of those muggle 'film's' that Harry and Rose were talking about" George said, coming to sit down next to Harry whilst Fred went and sat next to Rose,

"We could do that, I don't mind, but we'll have to ask mum and dad" Ginny replied,

"So, its settled then, go see a muggle film and then come back to get our arses kicked in quidditch again" said Fred, just as his mother was walking into the kitchen,

"Fred! Language!"

"Sorry mum"

"Mum, is it okay with we take Ginny to see a muggle film?" Ron interrupted,

"I don't see why not. Oh! Hello Harry, Rose, I didn't see you sitting there, when did you get here?"

Harry waved to Molly before replying, "Not very long, Rose just got here a few minutes ago. Say, Mr Weasley might want to come along, you know how he is with all things muggle",

Molly seemed to ponder this idea for a bit before speaking up, "I think that would be a lovely idea, Arthur will certainly love to see how muggles enjoy themselves. I'll go fetch him from the shed",

Molly quickly went and got Arthur from his hidey hole in the shed, informing him of the kids plan to take Ginny to the movies. Arthur was ecstatic at the idea and quickly agreed to go with them, suggesting that they drive to Exeter, the capital of Devon county. The Weasley children ran up to their rooms quickly to go get changed and ready for the day, meeting the Potters back down stairs lickety split. Percy would be staying behind to help with the birthday preparations, leaving only the twins, Ron and Ginny to accompany the Potters. Hopping into Arthurs magical Ford Anglia, the group set off towards Exeter to go to the local cinema. The drive took roughly half an hour, passing through the countryside and eventually the city. The Weasleys gawked at the muggle city, taking in the sights, causing Arthur to almost crash more than once. Luckily the car was charmed to avoid accidents, and would swerve anytime Arthur gawked at a telephone box for too long.

Pulling into the Cinema car park, the group made their way to into the old theatre house, where upon they looked at what to watch. There were a number of action and adventure movies showing, however since it was Ginny's birthday, she would be the one to decide. She eventually decided on going to see the movie _Doc Hollywood,_ a RomCom, much to the dismay of the boys, except of course Arthur, who was happy to see just about anything. Arthur gave Harry and Rose some muggle money in order to buy the tickets and snacks, since everyone there was absolutely hopeless with muggle Pounds. Buying the group what they needed, they headed into the cinema to watch the movie. At some point, Ron fell asleep on Harry's shoulder, and the twins had their heads against each other napping as well. Arthur sat on the edge of his seat, taking in every single word and occasionally leaning over to Harry to ask how it all worked.

"I'll tell you afterwards Mr Weasley, there's people trying to watch",

Rose and Ginny on the other hand were thoroughly enjoying the movie, laughing and crying throughout it. Ginny couldn't help but imagine Harry and herself in place of the main actor and actress.

"Don't they just look adorable together", Rose whispered to Ginny, referring to the main characters,

"They're so cute together" Ginny Whispered back,

"That Michael J Fox isn't bad lookin' either hey"

"Not as good looking as your brother"

Ginny immediately regretted saying that, as she felt the warmth flooding her cheeks with the tell-tale sign of blushing.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Rose whispered back, patting her friend on the knee.

For the rest of the movie the group sat there in rapt silence as they watched the muggle film till the end. By the time they were done it was nearing the party start time. Hopping back in Arthurs car, they drove back to the Burrow, where Molly and Juni had prepared a feast for Ginny's birthday. Whilst there were off in Exeter, the eldest Weasley boys had arrived from their overseas jobs. Currently setting up tables and chairs in the Burrow's garden were Bill Weasley, a curse breaker working in Egypt for Gringotts, and Charlie Weasley, a dragon keeper working in Romania. The elder boys had the trademark bright red Weasley hair, however Bill wore his in a ponytail, whilst Charlie's was more of a mop of messy hair. Bill had inherited his father's tall lanky build, whilst Charlie had inherited the Prewitt stocky build, the same as Molly's older brothers.

As the group drove into the Burrow's driveway, Ginny flew out of the car to greet her elder brother's, Bill especially,

"Bill! Charlie! You made it!",

Bill grimaced as Ginny ran head on into him, embracing him in a tight bear hug, "You didn't think we'd forget about our little kid sister, did you?",

Ginny removed herself from Bill and embraced Charlie as he strutted over towards the group,

"Besides, I think mum would hex us if we didn't show up" Charlie added as he returned the embrace from his sister.

"Boys, it's good to see you, no trouble getting home then?" Arthur asked as he came over to embrace his eldest boys.

"No trouble at all dad, so who's this lot then?" Bill asked, pointing to Harry and Rose,

"Bill, Charlie, I'd like you to meet Harry and Rose Potter. They moved here to Juniper and Alexander Evans house, just across town. They're Harry and Rose's maternal Grandparents".

Bill and Charlie's eyes widened at the mention of their last name, striding over to shack their hands each,

"Pleasure to meet you both, I'm William, but everyone calls me Bill",

"And I'm Charlie, nice to meet you both, Mum mentioned that Ron and Ginny had made some new friends",

Harry and Rose shook the Elder Weasley boy's hands as they returned the greeting,

"Nice to meet you both, Ron's mentioned you quite a bit, specifically you Charlie, seems mighty proud of you" Harry greeted,

"Yeah, and Ginny's already named you as her favourite brother, Bill" Rose supplied, stepping back into line with her Brother.

"Awh, Ginny, I didn't know you felt that way, I feel honoured" Bill quipped in a sarcastic tone,

"Shut it you" Ginny replied, punching her brother in the arm.

As the group finished up their greetings, they wandered into the Burrow to the sight of the two matriarchs cooking away in the Kitchen,

"Hello dears, did you enjoy yourself?" Molly asked, looking up from setting knives to chop potatoes,

"It was fantastic Mum, Dad loved it too, though I think the boys fell asleep halfway through" Ginny told her mum, coming and embracing her with a hug,

"Hey! I stayed awake throughout the whole thing, wasn't going to fall asleep on your birthday, now was I?" stated Harry,

Ginny blushed at the thought of Harry staying up to watch the movie just for her.

"Thanks H-Harry, I appreciate it",

Harry gave the young Weasley a smile before sitting down next to Ron at the kitchen table,

"So little sister, what now", Fred asked, walking into the kitchen,

"Yeah little sis, what now", George added,

"Why don't we have a little game of Quidditch, now that the big boys are here" Ginny grinned at her elder brothers,

"And Rose, you have to fly, It's my birthday, pleeeease"

Rose visibly paled at the thought of flying, looking around the room for an escape,

"I'm sure Rose would love to fly, but I think she's better off flying with me on my broom" Harry stated, giving his sister a reassuring look.

Rose mouthed a thank you before replying to Ginny, "Alright, alright, just because it's your birthday I'll risk dying by height…just for you",

Ginny grinned at her friend as she made her way outside, "Last one up in the air has to pack the brooms up!",

With that revelation, the Weasleys and Potters, minus Percy, ran from the kitchen in an effort to secure a broom and kick off from the ground. Unfortunately for Bill, it appeared that he was the last one up in the air, having helped Rose up onto Harry's broom.

"lucky last Bill, guess you're cleaning up" Ginny shouted from her position high in the sky,

"Yeah yeah little sis, you'll be begging to clean up by the time I'm finished whoopin' your teams arse",

"Just wait till you see Harry then" Ginny snorted, before blushing red,

Bill noticed his sisters flushed face and smirked at her before looking at the raven-haired boy, who was blushing as well, having just heard her comment about him.

"So, you're a flyer then Harry, alright then, this outa be fun" Bill quipped.

Before long, the group had split up with Bill, the Twins and Ron on one team, whilst Charlie, Ginny, and Harry/Rose joined another.

Despite having his sister on his back, Harry flew like a soaring eagle, swooping in and out of the other players, deftly handling the ball, scoring a magnitude of goals against Ron, the other teams keeper. Charlie in the meantime had defended Ginny's team's goal with skill, keeping most of Bill's shots out. The twins on the other hand, enjoyed themselves by getting in the way of passes between Ginny and Harry, stealing the ball whenever they could. Ginny and Harry worked in perfect tandem as they passed the ball in between each other, setting the other up to score a goal.

About an hour passed before Molly finally came out and announced that dinner was ready, calling everyone in to clean up and get ready for dinner. Her timing couldn't be better, as Bill's team was suffering…bad. Ginny's team were up 300 points against Bill's 100.

"Far out Harry, you're a natural, where'd you learn to fly like that?" Bill asked as he packed the brooms away,

"His dad was a chaser, isn't that right…H-Harry" Ginny answered for him, blushing at mentioning his name,

Harry nodded, "Yeah, dad was a chaser for Gryffindor apparently, so I suppose it's just in my blood. Although it appears Rose didn't get that trait",

"Hey! I didn't mind it up there, in fact, I quite enjoyed it, once I opened my eyes and stopped hyperventilating" Rose said, slapping her brother on the arm.

The group made their way inside to wash up before helping Molly carry food out to the table outside. The Weasleys, Evans and Potters found their places around the table, with Ginny at the head of the table with Rose and Harry to her Left and Bill and Ron to her right. Molly and Juni had pulled out all the stops once again, cooking all of Ginny's favourites, including potato bake, roast chicken, roast lamb, mashed potato, and many more delicious foods. The group stuffed themselves full, only leaving just barely enough room for the cake that was to come. Molly levitated a large chocolate and cream cake out to the table, helping Ginny serve up the pieces for their guests and family.

Before long, dinner and desert were all finished and dishes were moved inside, tables and chairs packed away, and tea and biscuits brought into the living room where Ginny's presents were set up. The adults, Percy, Bill and Charlie had all nabbed the chairs and sofas, leaving the twins and Ron to sit by on the floor with Harry, Rose and Ginny, who had all made their places around the coffee table. Ginny spread her presents out and took the first one she saw which belonged from Ron. True to his word, Ron hadn't told anyone what he got her, much to the twin's disappointment, as such, it was a surprise when she opened it to reveal a Hollyhead Harpies Alamac, signed by the captain, Gwenogg Jones herself.

"WOW, Ron! Where did you get this!" Ginny exclaimed,

"I got it in Diagon Alley, that day we went in to get out school supplies, it was on sale so I thought it'd be a perfect birthday present",

Ginny gave her older brother a hug before sitting down and taking the next present, which belonged to Percy. As per usual, Percy had gotten her a useful, but boring, gift, consisting of a diary which was charmed to tell you what appointments you had that day when you opened it in the morning. Moving on, Ginny received a pair of new dresses from the Evans, new robes from her parents, a plush dragon which was charmed to breath fire and fly from Charlie. Thanking them all, Ginny moved on to Bill's gift, a scarab charm which he picked up in the Bazaars in Cairo.

"it's supposed to ward off evil spirits, works wonders whilst your down in the tombs, does a fair job of keeping you safe from some nasty ancient curses" Bill remarked, returning the embrace that his sister had given him,

Moving on, Ginny turned to the twin's present, which consisted of joke items, and a number of witch weekly magazines from the last several months. Next was Rose's gift. Opening it, she found a beautiful golden bracelet with, consisting of interlocking chains, connecting on a golden plate with the word's ' _friendship'_ printed on it.

"it's a friendship bracelet, albeit a fancy one, but a bracelet nonetheless. Thought you deserved it since you're basically my first friend, and you don't have a lot of jewellery",

Ginny was flabbergasted by this sign of generosity and hugged her new friend fiercely,

"Thank you so much Rose! It's beautiful, I'll make sure to take good care of it"

"I'm sure you will",

Last but certainly not least, was Harry's present. Ginny hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should open it or not. Deciding that it would be unwise to ignore it, Ginny reached for the present and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was a small redheaded figurine, on what appeared to be a _Nimbus2000_ broomstick. Picking it up and placing it in her hand, the figure kicked off from her palm and started to fly around the room before landing back on her hand. Ginny beamed up at Harry, loving the little toy, realising that the redheaded rider was supposed to be her.

Ginny reached over and embraced Harry, burying her head in the crook of his neck, breathing in his sent lightly before pulling back, tears starting to form in her eyes,

"it's wonderful! Thank you so much Harry!", Ginny exclaimed, shocked that she didn't stutter this time,

"You're quite welcome Ginny, I'm glad you like it", Harry chuckled.

The rest of the night went rather smoothly, as the group let the conversation flow around them. Before long the group decided to call an end to the night, growing tired from their earlier outings. Harry, Rose and the Evans bade the Weasleys farewell, promising to be back tomorrow to study or play more Qudditch. Taking the floo back to the Evans house, Harry and Rose said their goodnights before departing for their room upstairs. Quickly getting ready for bed and hopping in, the Potter siblings sat there and discussed the nights events,

"Well I think that went rather well, Ginny seemed to enjoy your little gift" Rose told her brother, flicking through her romance novella,

"I think she liked her bracelet too, when did you pick that up?" Harry asked,

"I got it one day whilst you were over playing Quidditch, Gran took me to the village, there's a jeweller there"

"Well I think that was very nice of you, I think she appreciated It immensely"

"I think she liked yours better, probably because it was from _you_ "

"Oh. Well…I was just following your advice" Harry blushed,

"Did you notice she didn't stutter when she opened your gift, I think she might actually be getting use to you not being a god",

"What are you on about, of course I'm a god"

Rose scoffed as she hit her brother softly, "You wish mate, you've certainly got the ego of a god"

Harry grinned at his sister as he fell down onto his pillows, "I'm just hoping we might actually be able to have a conversation for once without one of us getting tongue tied"

"Well you seem to be getting better, you work out that she's more nervous around you then you are around her?"

"Something like that, mainly I think it's just getting to know her. She's an amazing flyer you know, probably better than me",

Rose scoffed," I know you're trying to be nice…but I flew with you tonight, you are by far the best flyer there I'm afraid",

"You really reckon?"

"Course I do, would I ever lie to you",

Harry rolled his eyes, thinking about the occasions she had,

"Don't answer that" Rose quickly included.

"yeah yeah, I don't know about you but I'm exhausted, so I'm going to bid you goodnight and hit the hay"

Harry leaned over and gave Rose a kiss on the cheek before rolling over onto his back and shutting his eyes,

"love you little sis, don't stay up too late",

"I won't, promise. Love you too Harry",

Harry let sleep take him over as he thought about the happy face Ginny had when she opened his gift. He wondered when he would have the courage to do something with this crush, and if it would ever develop into something more. He paid that thought no more attention as he focussed solely on how happy his crush was throughout her birthday. Happy with the results of his gift, Harry thought once again about what he would get Rose, deciding that tomorrow was a good a day as any to sort that out.


	5. September 1st

**September 1st, Hogwarts Express, And new Friends: Chapter five**

With the fanfare of birthdays over for the time being, Harry and Rose enjoyed the last few weeks of time together by lazing about the Evans house studying, or going off on adventures with the Weasleys. Since receiving Harry's gift, Ginny had lightened up around Harry significantly, even being able to engage him in conversations longer than a couple of sentences. What was Harry's problem now was finding a suitable birthday gift for Rose. Late one afternoon, a week before school started, an idea struck Harry. Since Ginny's birthday, Harry had been rummaging through his parent's old belongings, trying to find something of his mothers to give to Rose. Unfortunately, luck was not on his side, and all that he could find of his mothers were old books, journals, and letters, items which would not satisfy his need to provide for his sister. That's how he came to where he was at the moment, writing a letter in his room to none-other than Professor Dumbledore. Hedwig sat beside him, rubbing her head against his shoulder occasionally, waiting diligently to be dispatched to Hogwarts,

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _I must thank you once again for your gift that you gave me on my birthday, however I must ask whether or not you have anything of my mothers. I'm trying to give Rose a fitting gift after her marvellous gifts she gave to me. So far it has been nigh impossible to find anything suitable to give to her, hence why I am asking you. I look forward to seeing you again come September 1st,_

 _Yours loyally,_

 _Harry Potter_

Harry stared down at his letter, proof reading it once more to make sure he conveyed his message appropriately, before rolling it up and tying it to Hedwig's leg, "Alright girl, make sure this gets to professor Dumbledore okay? And make sure he gives you a treat for being such a good owl",

Hedwig hooted in approval as she gave Harry an affectionate nip before taking off into the night to find her target.

"Who are you sending a letter too?" Rose asked as she walked into the room.

Harry spun around at the sudden appearance of his sister, visibly taken aback by her arrival, "Just professor Dumbledore…wanted to…wanted to ah…to ah make sure I've got everything I need for school, if I needed any special items."

Rose seemed to accept his answer as she flopped herself down on the bed, picking up another of her mother's romance novellas. "Are you excited for school Harry?" Rose asked,

"yeah, I'm actually really looking forward to it. It's much better then thinking about going back to primary school",

"Tell me about it, at least this way we get to learn spells AND be famous", Rose let out with a smug smile,

Harry rolled his eyes, "Try not to be so vain my dear sister"

"Oh you know I'm having you on, besides, we won't even have to try, specially you"

"yeah well, that's the only part I'm dreading. Imagine the expectations on us for being who we are, and who our parents were",

"Harry, you've been through almost all of your textbooks, you've nailed all the spells you've been allowed to practice, you're an excellent flyer, and most importantly you're a wonderful boy. I couldn't ask for a better brother if I tried".

Harry smiled at his young sister, "Thanks Rose, that means a lot. And the same goes for you by the way, couldn't wish for a better sister. Although I do wish she wasn't so sassy sometimes",

"Awh, but that's what you love about me big bro. Who would I be without my annoying sass and sarcasm?"

"I would suspect that you would be incredibly boring and plain, and no fun at all",

"You've got that damn right Potter, you're lucky to have me", Rose smirked at her brother,

"That I am…Potter…that I am".

Soon the end of the month drew near, and before long, September 1st arrived. On the morning, Rose woke Harry up with a traditional pillow fight at 7 in the morning, before being tackled and tickled by one annoyed brother. Harry quickly got ready for the trip and got his things together before heading down to breakfast.

"Oh, Harry dear, have you got everything you need?" Juni asked

"All sorted thanks Grandma, what time are we heading to the Weasleys?"

"We'll leave here at 8, plenty of time for them to get their things together if they need to go back for something".

It was decided days ago that the Evans and Potters would travel with the Weasleys in convoy to Kings Cross Station where they would board the Hogwarts express to school. After breakfast, the Potters gathered up their belongings before getting into Alex's old Chevrolet Impala to set off to meet the Weasleys. Over at the Burrow, it was chaos, as the twins and Ron tried to gather all their school supplies that morning. Rose and Harry sat at the table with Ginny whilst the boys tried to get their things together. Percy, being perfect Percy, had everything ready the night before, much like Harry, and was currently sitting up in his room writing a last-minute letter.

"So, Rose, are you gonna miss Harry?" Ginny asked her friend,

"Of course she it, she's going to cry every night until I get back, aren't you sis" Harry cut in, smirking at his sister.

"Oh Ha ha Harry, just you wait and see, Ginny and I are going to get up to so much fun you'll wish you were back here with us, isn't that right Ginny."

"Damn tootin you're right Rose, you're gonna wish you were back here Harry. Oh, but don't worry, we'll make sure to send you letters, maybe" Ginny replied with a smirk,

"Oh, girls, you wound me, what am I going to do without my favourite two girls",

Ginny couldn't help but blush at that last comment, as Rose smacked her brother on the arm,

"Stop being sarcastic you git, you're going to miss us, just admit it",

"Of course I'm going to miss you, how could I not" Harry said, smirking at Ginny,

 _'Does this boy want to kill me_ ' Ginny thought. She was burning bright red at this point, and feared that all these weeks work on getting better around Harry would come undone in a matter of seconds. Harry noticed this, and thought better of it then to continue making Ginny uncomfortable, in fear of her reverting to her prior self. Eventually the Weasley boys got their act together and managed to get organised, bringing down their trunks to be set by the door, ready for when they left. The three boys managed a few bites of breakfast before Molly came thundering down the stairs, telling the children to get their things together and head for the car. Juni, who had been helping Molly get things ready for the morning, ushered Harry and Rose out to the car to wait for the Weasleys. Arthur had already gone into work, so it was down to Molly to drive the kids off to the station. Loading into one car, the Weasleys set off down the road, only having to go back once to grab Fred's broom. Juni followed Molly all the way across the southern part of the country, driving into London at 10 in the morning. The two cars barely got there with 15 minutes to spare, as the twins rushed out of the Anglia to get trolleys for the luggage. Harry placed his luggage on a trolley provided by George as Rose carried Hedwig for him. They marched into the station, Juni following close behind, heading straight for platform 9.

"Now, Harry, Rose dear, all you have to do it run through that column there and you'll be on platform 9 ¾."

The two nodded at Molly as Percy went through the column and disappeared.

"Alright, Fred, George, off you go"

"I'm not Fred, he's Fred",

"honestly woman, and we call you our mother", the twins teased their mother,

"Oh, sorry dears, just go on ahead would you",

"Only joking mum, I am Fred",

Shaking her head in annoyance, the twins departed through the Column as well, grinning back at their mother. Next up was Ron, and then finally Harry. Harry started out with a jog, building up to a sprint, bracing himself for impact, but there was none, as Harry went straight through and onto a bright, busy Platform. Staring straight at him was a beautiful red steam engine, with multiple carriages being boarded by students young and old. Harry quickly spotted the twins and Ron and made his way over to them just as Rose and Juni made their way through the portal. Following them was Molly and Ginny, who walked over to join the group.

"Now you all have a good year, and behave yourselfs, especially you two, Fred and George, don't cause too much trouble", Molly told her children, plus the Potters,

"Don't worry mum, we'll just send Ginny a toilet seat, that's all", Fred reassured her

"yeah mum, just a toilet seat, no need to panic", George added.

Molly shook her head, knowing arguing would be pointless as they'd do it anyway. Juni gave Harry a tight embrace as tears started to flood her eyes, "I remember taking your mother here years ago, she was so excited, she couldn't wait to explore this wonderful, magical world. And now it's your turn. Have a fantastic year Harry darling, make sure to write lots, and learn as much as you can. Soon you'll be an adult, and you'll look back on these days as your happiest".

Harry smiled up at his grandma before replying, "Thanks Gran, I'll make sure to do all that, look after Grandpa and Rose for me, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid until I'm home",

Juni laughed at her grandsons' comment before letting Rose say goodbye to her brother. Wrapping her arms around him as tight as possible, Rose buried her face in the crook of Harry's neck and let her tears soak his collar.

"M-Make sure you write to me every day you hear. If you don't, I'll be up there quicker than you can say mint ice-cream",

Harry shuddered at the thought of such a horrible combination before replying, "Don't worry Rose, I'll make sure to write to you as much as I can, and I'll send your birthday present along to you on the 3rd okay?"

Rose nodded her head as she pulled back from Harry's shoulder, "You have a great time Harry, and stay safe, whatever you do. I love you so much Harry, and I can't wait until Christmas",

Harry gave his sister a kiss on her forehead, "I love you too Rose, look after everyone while I'm away, and keep Ginny company will you",

"Will do, lover boy" Rose smirked at her brother.

Bidding everyone their final farewells, Harry, Ron and the twins boarded the train to find a compartment. The twins split up to find their own friends as Ron and Harry found an empty compartment to occupy. They waved out the window to their families as the train started to pull away. Ginny and Rose ran alongside the train for as long as they could, waving madly at their departing brothers, tears in both their eyes. Before long the train was out into the countryside and everyone was settled down for the trip. About 10 minutes into the journey, a young boy with dark brown hair and fudge eyes came knocking on their compartment door,

"G'day fella's, any chance you could squeeze one more in 'ere",

"Sure, make yourself at home" Harry replied to the stranger,

The boy dragged his trunk in and set it in the luggage compartment above them before taking a seat next to Ron,

"Cheers for that mate, names Alec by the way, Alec Henderson",

Ron looked at the boy for a second before replying, "Nice to meet you mate, your name sounds familiar, do your parents work at the ministry?"

Alec rubbed the back of his neck slightly, "Ah yeah, my dad works there".

Harry, sensing the boys displeasure, stuck his hand out to greet the boy to interrupt, "Harry, Harry Potter, it's nice to meet you Alec",

Alec's eyes widened in surprise at hearing Harry's name, "Far out, Harry Potter, honour to meet you mate",

Taking Harry's hand and shaking it, Alec turned to Ron, "What about you mate?",

"Ron, Ron Weasley" Ron said, taking Alec's hand and shaking it,

"Weasley hey, heard some good things about you lot, your dad works at the misuse of muggle artefacts, doesn't he?" Alec said

"Yeah, he does, how'd you know that?" Ron asked,

"Dad's worked with him a bit when he was head of the Commonwealth Aurors" Alec replied,

"Hang on, first off what's an Auror, and second, what do you mean Commonwealth?", Harry interrupted,

"Well Aurors are dark wizard catches, go after death eaters and criminals, that sort of thing", Ron said,

"Commonwealth, you know, Commonwealth of nations, former British Empire and all that", Alec added,

"You mean to say that the Commonwealth is magical?" said Harry,

"Well not the muggle commonwealth, but yeah, we have our own magical Commonwealth. Wherever the British expanded, British wizards would follow, and after the Empire broke up, the Queen founded the magical Commonwealth alongside the Muggle one, to ensure magical cooperation between all the former colonies magical communities", Alec added the last bit with a fake, pompous accent,

"The Queen knows about wizards?" Harry asked Alec,

"The Queens a witch Harry, whole bloody royal family is magical, has been for hundreds of years. Descended all the way back to King Arthur" Alec answered,

"You mean king Arthur was real?" said Harry,

"Course, everyone knows that Harry", Ron answered,

"Sorry, but remember, Rose and I are basically Muggleborn", Harry stated.

"So, what's your dad do then Alec?" Harry asked,

"He's the Commonwealth minister for Magic, head of the cooperation between nations. Can't really enact any laws but he basically does the Queen's will, enacts her laws and makes sure all the other Ministers are in line, including the British Minister", Alec answered.

Harry nodded in understanding, intrigued that this boy, who supposedly had a politician father, was so laissez faire. The boys continued their conversation, discovering that Alec was originally from Australia, hence his funny accent. Alec explained that in Australia things were far more relaxed, and that people took a chilled response to matters downunder. Before long the food trolley witch came through an offered them anything. Harry made sure to buy enough for the three of them, as all Ron had was sandwiches his mum made. The three boys sat there in conversation, talking about each other's families and hobbies, most of which Harry and Ron knew about each other already. About half way through the train ride, a young blonde boy came through and barged into their compartment,

"So, it's true then, the legendary Harry Potter has come back to Hogwarts",

Harry stared up in the boy in frustration for his rude appearance, "Draco, Draco Malfoy" The boy said, thrusting his hand out for Harry to shake,

Ron snorted at the boy, earning him a glare from the blonde, "No need to ask who you are, red hair, second hand robes, a pet…rat…a Weasley if I ever knew one", The boy sneered Ron's name as he passed over it.

Ron was about to get up and throttle the boy when Alec piped up instead, "Blonde hair, snivelling sycophant attitude, ego the size of Mount Everest, no doubt about it, you truly are your father's son Draco."

Draco glared at the brown-haired boy in anger, "And who are you then!",

Alec just smirked at the boy before replying, "Alec, Alec Henderson, you might have heard of my father, Lennox Henderson. I certainly know your father has, as he should the amount of times he's tried to buy my father".

Draco's eyes widened in fear as he backed out of the compartment without another word and made his way down the corridor. Alec stuck his head out the compartment to shout one last insult to Malfoy, "Where are you going Malfoy! It's rude to leave without saying goodbye", Alec Called out.

Alec came back into the compartment muttering, "Prick", as he sat back down next to Ron, who looked dazzled at the boy, "Blimey mate, that was brilliant. You scared him good and proper",

"Comes with the territory of having a famous name, Harry should know the feeling" Alec replied,

Harry nodded, "I know exactly what you mean, sometimes it's a bit hard though",

"I know what you mean, everyone expects you to do great things, to live up to your name. sometimes it's hard to, sometimes you fail. Don't worry, I know exactly how you feel" Alec expressed his sympathy.

Alec gave Harry a wide smile as he continued to tuck into his sweets. Not long after, the boys were interrupted once more, this time by a pudgy dark brown-haired boy,

"You haven't happened to see a toad at all have you?" the boy asked,

The three friends shook their head in reply, leaving the boy to depart. But before he could, Harry shouted out for him to join them, "Hang on mate, why don't you sit with us for a bit, we can go look for it in a minute",

The boy looked shocked at this invitation, but accepted nonetheless, taking a seat next to Harry, "Harry, Harry Potter, by the way",

The boy's eyes grew in shock as he greedily took in the boy's appearance before sticking his hand out, "Neville, Neville Longbottom",

"Longbottom hey, son of Alice and Frank?" Alec asked. Neville's eyes grew wide in fear as he nodded his head slowly, "Good people your parents, Alec, Alec Henderson, my father knew your parents",

Neville reached out and shook Alec's hand before turning to Ron, "Ron, Ron Weasley, nice to meet you Neville", Ron greeted.

"Thanks for having me here guys, I haven't been able to find a compartment all day. My gran would be bonkers with me if I didn't at least try and make some friends today" Neville commented sadly.

"Well I think you're off to a good start, don't you think boy's?" Harry asked,

Ron and Alec nodded their heads as they smiled at the young Boy. The four of them sat there, talking amongst themselves as the train continued on through the country. Various people continued to walk past and point out Harry, occasionally trying to get his attention through the window. Once again however they were interrupted, this time by a young girl with big bushy brown hair and kind brown eyes, and unfortunately, rather noticeable buck teeth.

"Have any of you seen a toad, there's a boy a few compartments…oh Neville, you're here", Neville waved at the girl as she stood there,

"Are you gonna stand their sheila or are you gonna come and sit down, you're welcome to join us" Alec told the girl.

Taken aback by Alec's accent, the girl went and sat next to Ron, causing the boy to blush.

"Alec, Alec Henderson, this here's Ron Weasley and… Harry Potter. Of course, you already know Neville here" Alec introduced everyone.

"Harry Potter! I read all about you and how you defeated the dark lord!" the girl exclaimed, but not in a fanatical way, more curious then anything.

Harry smiled at the girl, embarrassed, hoping the girl wouldn't be another diehard fan, "Oh, but where are my manners, Hermione, Hermione Granger, muggleborn" Hermione introduced herself.

"Muggleborn hey, quite a shock to find out you're a witch then aye" Alec said,

"Yes well, my parents are dentists, there weren't exactly expecting this kind of thing, but they were very supportive when I got my letter. I'm sorry but I can't help notice your accent, are you Australian?"

Alec smiled at Hermione, "Right in one love, lived here for three years now and still can't shake the accent. Dad says its magical, can't get rid of it no matter what"

The group of children continued on in conversation, informing one another of each-others' lives, families and what not. Eventually a voice announced that they were 15 minutes from Hogwarts. Hermione stepped out of the compartment to allow the boys to change, seeing as though she was already in her school robes. As the train pulled up to the local station, Hagrid was seen holding up a large lamp calling out for the new students,

"Firs' year's over here! Firs' years! Alright 'arry, Ron" the half giant said as the group of friends made their way up to him.

"Doing just fine Hagrid, good to see you again" said Harry,

"Good te see yeh too 'arry, you're gonna enjoy yourself 'ere that's for sure" Hagrid replied.

Harry grinned at the games keeper as they followed him around the corner. In Front of them lay a mighty, grand castle, with turrets reaching towards the heavens and bridges strutting out from the walls which surrounded this bastion of learning. Ron, Hermione and Harry took a boat to themselves as Alec and Neville and another first year by the name of Seamus Finnegan shared another. They found themselves rowing across the lake by the light of the castle and moon, taking in the beautiful structure that would be their home for the next 7 years. Reaching a cave at the bottom of the castle, the first years piled out of the boats and made their way towards Hagrid who lead them up a flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs stood a stern looking older witch with a pointed hat and well kempt greying brown hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head.

"Got the firs' years 'ere for yeh professor McGonagall" Hagrid spoke up,

"Thank you, Hagrid, if you all would be so kind as to follow me to the Great Hall, we shall introduce you to your first Hogwarts experience, the house sorting".


	6. Hogwarts

**The House sorting, First Lessons, and Rose's Birthday: Chapter Six**

"Whilst you are at Hogwarts, your house shall be your family. You will eat together, sleep in the same dormitories, and attend class together. The four houses are named after the founders of our prestigious school, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin. In a moment, you shall enter the Great Hall, and one by one your name shall be called so that the sorting hat may place you in your house".

"Trevor!" Neville suddenly interrupted,

It appeared as though Neville's toad had found its way into the school and was currently residing by McGonagall's feet. Grabbing the toad, Neville found himself under the scrutiny of the stern old professor, staring him down as be retreated to the safety of his fellow students to be.

"As I was saying, you shall enter the Great Hall in a moment, follow me please" McGonagall finished.

Following the professor into the entrance hall, the group of first years lined up at the large, solid oak doors. Opening up, they found themselves staring at a vast open hall, with four long tables occupying most of the room. At these tables sat the current student body. At the end of the hall, sat another long table, where the teaching staff sat, with Dumbledore presented smack bang in the middle. He grinned at the new students as they shyly entered the hall, awaiting to be sorted. A stool was set in front of the headmaster, and a hat placed on top. As the hat was placed, it appeared to come alive, as it took on the features of a face, with eyes and a mouth forming from its folds.

" _Oh, you may not think I'm Pretty,_

 _But don't judge on what you see,_

 _I'll eat myself if you can find_

 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_

 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head_

 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_

 _So try me on and I will tell you_

 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_

 _Their daring, nerve and chivalry_

 _Set Gryffindors apart,_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

 _Where they are just and loyal,_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

 _And unafraid of toil,_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

 _If you've a ready mind,_

 _Where those of wit and learning,_

 _Will always find their kind,_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_

 _You'll make your real friends,_

 _Those cunning folk use nay means_

 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

 _And don't get in a flap!_

 _You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

At the end of the hats long rendition, the hall burst out into applause. Even the first years, who moments ago were terrified, joined in on the clapping. Harry nudged Ron, reminding him off what Fred and George had said back in July about having to wrestle a troll. Soon after the hat had sung, Professor McGonagall stepped forwards with a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you shall step forward to be sorted, Abbot, Hannah!"

One of the shall blonde first years stepped forwards and marched right up to the seat, letting the hat be placed on her head. A few short moments later and the hat burst out with 'HUFFLEPUFF'. The Table on the right cheered and clapped as the new Hufflepuff joined her table.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF"

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Brocklehurst, Mandy!"

"RAVENCLAW"

And on it went. Lavender Brown became the first new Gryffindor, Millicent Bulstrode became the first new Slytherin. Harry and Ron sniggered at the idea that all the Slytherins were a rather unpleasant looking bunch. Soon Justin Finch-Fletchley was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Seamus Finnigan into Gryffindor. Next however, came Hermione's turn. The brown bushy haired girl marched right up to the seat, muttering under her breath that it was a simple test.

' _it's just a test, it's just a test, it's just a test'_ she repeated under her breath. It was a mere moment before the hat announced that Hermione would be a Gryffindor. Harry looked over to Ron who was visibly blushing as the girl bounced past to sit next to the Weasley twins who saved her a spot. Before long, Alec was called up for his sorting,

"Henderson, Alexander!"

The young Australian boy walked up to take a seat on the stool, letting the hat slip over his eyes. It took a good 10 seconds before the hat sorted him straight into Gryffindor. Smiling to his mates, Harry and Ron, he jogged over to sit next to Hermione.

Next up was Neville, who nervously walked up to the hat to be sorted. The hat deliberated for what seemed like a good half a minute before the hat announced that Neville would be joining Gryffindor. In his excitement, Neville forgot to take off the hat and ran off towards the table with it atop his head still. Laughter fell upon the crowd as the now blushing boy took the hat back to McGonagall to continue the sorting. After a few more names were sorted, Draco Malfoy's named was called. He sauntered up to the hat, letting it barely touch his head before it shouted out 'SLYTHERIN".

Names continued to be called out and before long it was Harry's turn.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall called,

Harry suddenly had a bout of stage fright as he walked up to the hat. All around him voices whispered as they took in the famous 'boy-who-lived'.

"Did they just say Potter?",

"Look at those eyes, aren't they dreamy",

"He's a lot shorter than I thought he'd be",

Taking a seat on the stool and allowing the hat to fall over his eyes, Harry suddenly heard a voice enter his mind.

"Ah, Mr Potter, what a pleasure it is to sort a mind like yours. I remember sorting both your parents, such a perfect match for their house. Ah, you've got your father's daring and cunning, and your mothers wisdom and kindness. I could sort you into any house. But I sense in you a great need to protect, to be loyal, but above all else to use your bravery."

"Well where do you reckon I should go, I thought Gryffindor would be the best choice, Potter and all",

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong Mr Potter. Wrong and right. You do deserve to be in Gryffindor, and should be in Gryffindor, but you possess a great number of qualities which would do you well in each house."

"I think I'd prefer to be with my friends' thanks",

"So be it then, better be…GRYFFINDOR!",

The Gryffindor table burst out into applause and cheering, the twins shouting out " _We got Potter! We got Potter_!". Harry made his way across the hall and sat opposite Alec and Hermione, both of whom were smiling broadly at him.

"Well done Harry, of course it's obvious that you'd be in Gryffindor, with your parents and all" Hermione told him,

"Rubbish, you belong here on your own right mate, well done" Alec rebutted, sticking his hand out for Harry to shake. Before he could go ahead and shake it though, Ron's name was called, drawing their attention to the young Weasley up front.

Ron by this stage looked as though he could pass out at any moment. He had nothing to fear however, as the hat sorted him straight into Gryffindor, like every Weasley ever. Running as fast as he could to the table, he impacted with his twin brothers as they hoisted him up on their shoulders.

"Guess we can't disown him now hey George",

"Guess not Fred, guess we're stuck with him",

Ron smacked his brother's heads as they lowered him down onto the table next to Harry.

"Well done Ron, didn't doubt you for a moment" Harry told his friend as he put his arm around him,

Ron smiled sheepishly at him as he turned to look at Alec and Hermione across from him,

"Yeah, guess I was pretty mental to think otherwise" said Ron.

Before the foursome could continue their conversation, Dumbledore stood up to speak to the student body.

"Welcome, welcome, students new and old, there are words to be said, but now is not the time, so dig in and enjoy!"

And as the old headmaster finished his speech, hundreds off platters appeared along the tables spread across the Hall. Harry gazed in wide wonder, never seeing so much food in his life, not even the feasts that Molly or his grandmother cooked up were as big. The foursome tucked into the feast, Ron piling his plate sky high with different kinds of food. As they started to eat, an ethereal figure began to glide down the hall.

"Hello! New Gryffindor's, how exciting!", the figure spoke,

"I know you, you're Nearly Headless Nick!" Ron exclaimed,

"Why do they call yeh nearly headless?" Seamus Finnigan called out,

As if to explain his condition, the ghost grabbed his left ear and tugged, causing his head to bend at a 90-degree angle, his head attached to his body only by a sliver of meat. Everyone grimaced at the sight, as he plumped it back on top of her head.

"That's why they call me nearly headless. Oh my, that food does look good indeed", the ghost lamented,

"Can't you eat any?" Harry asked,

The ghost gave him a look of stupidity before replying, "I'm a ghost, I'm afraid I can't eat, drink or do any of my prior activities".

And with that, the ghost floated off towards the back of the Hall. The night continued on with food being consumed, and deserts devoured, as students stuffed themselves full.

Whilst Harry and his friends were eating, Professor McGonagall approached the young group, "Mr Potter, I have a note from Professor Dumbledore, make sure to see him outside your dormitory door after introductions tonight. I look forward to teaching you tomorrow", and with that the old stern witch walked back off towards the staff table.

Harry looked around and saw Dumbledore smiling broadly at the young boy. As he looked around the staff table, his eyes were drawn to a greasy, black haired professor, who was looking at him with querying eyes. Beside him sat the turban wrapped head of Professor Quirrell, the DADA teacher. As Harry locked eyes with the other professor, the scar atop his head burned with searing pain, causing Harry to clench it with his hand and look away. His friends noticed his pain and asked what was wrong,

"You alright Harry, what's the matter", Ron asked,

"Just my scar, it hurt a bit for some reason. Hey, who's that teacher up there next to Quirrell?" Harry replied,

"That's Professor Snape, potions master, but everyone knows it's the dark arts he's after" Percy answered him, leaning across the table,

The foursome continued on with their meals, and soon deserts were finished. As the empty plates vanished from the table, Dumbledore stood up at his chair and tapped his glass to gain the attention of the hall,

"Welcome back everyone, to another year at Hogwarts. Before we depart, I have a few start of term notices to give. It is to be noted that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that, forbidden, and a few of our older students would do well to remember that" the professor said, smirking at the elder Weasley twins.

"Also, to note, that a list of banned items may be accessed from Mr Filch's office should anyone wish to read them all. He also insists that no magic be practiced in the hallways during class transition. Quidditch tryouts shall take place second week of term, anyone interested in trying out should go see Madam Hooch in order to place their name down.

'And lastly, the third-floor corridor on the right side is off limits for all students, lest they wish to die a painful, horrible death."

Harry looked at his friends in alarm at the last notice,

"He can't be serious, can he?", he asked no one in particular,

"He's mental, but he sounds deadly serious", Ron answered,

"I suggest we follow his warnings", Hermione added,

Harry nodded at his friends as his attention was once again placed on Dumbledore.

"And lastly, let us depart the night by singing the school song!",

The hall erupted into sounds of scraping wood as benches were pushed back as students rose. Soon the school song began to be belted out from the students at different tones, speeds and pitches as Dumbledore himself conducted the song. The song finished with Fred and George, who had sung the entire song in a slow funeral march, Dumbledore personally conducting the two till the end,

"Ah, music, truly the greatest magic of all. Now, off to bed! Pip pip!".

And with that, students and staff made their way out of the great hall and through the castle. Percy, being prefect, lead the Gryffindor first years through the castle on a tour as they made their way to the Gryffindor quarters. Lining the walls of the castle were numerous paintings, all of which moved and talked, greeting the new students as they went by. They were rudely interrupted when a floating pair of walking sticks presented themselves to the front of the group, blocking the way.

"Peeves, show yourself!" Percy shouted at the pair of sticks,

"Peeves a poltergeist", Ron whispered to Harry,

The sound of a large raspberry being blown broke the silence, leaving a few students to chuckle,

"Peeves, don't make me get the Bloody Baron!" Percy shouted again, getting more and more perturbed.

Suddenly, a cross legged floating man with small piercing black eyes and a wide mouth appeared clutching the two sticks.

"Ickie little firsties aye, awe aren't they adorable little mites", the poltergeist teased,

"PEEVES" Percy shouted, "If you don't get out of our way I will fetch the Bloody Baron at once!",

And with that the poltergeist retreated, blowing more raspberries at the group of students. They continued on their journey, eventually they making their way to a large portrait of a larger lady, in fanciful robes.

"Password?", she asked the prefects,

" _Caput Draconis",_ Percy answered.

The portrait swung open, revealing a hole in the wall. The students scrambled up into the hole, some helping others, as they made their way into a large circular room with a fireplace, a multitude of couches and tables spread out amongst the room.

"Welcome, to the Gryffindor Common room, here you can meet your friends, study, and find notices on the notice board over there" Percy said, pointing to a large wooden board with a few pieces of parchment already on it.

"Girls dormitories are up the stairs to the left, boys to the right. All your trunks and belongings will be there already", Percy concluded.

The students went their separate ways, splitting into genders as they marched up the stone stairs. Entering the dormitory, Harry was greeted with six, four poster beds with trunks at the end of them. Hedwig sat by Harry's bed, hooting, wanting to be let out.

"Hey listen, I gotta meet Professor Dumbledore outside, I'll be back later okay?", Harry told his friends as he let Hedwig out of her cage and into the night,

"Yeah sure mate, let us know how it goes", Alec answered him.

Harry made his way downstairs again and out of the common room. Standing just outside the portrait was none other than Professor Dumbledore.

"Evening Harry, I trust you are all sorted inside?", the kindly old professor asked Harry,

"Yes Professor, all sorted out, I've just let Hedwig out to hunt", Harry replied,

"Ah yes, Hedwig, such a beautiful bird, now Harry, let us walk",

Harry nodded as the two started to make his way down the hallway and back towards the great hall. Veering off down another hallway, the two came to a pair of large stone griffons that guarded a tall revolving staircase.

"Lemon Sherbet", Dumbledore spoke out loud,

The two guardians moved to one side and let the duo ascend the stairs, which Harry now realised were moving up on their own, much like a muggle escalator.

Coming to a large wooden door, Dumbledore pushed it aside and ushered Harry in. Harry took a sharp breath as he greedily looked around the room. Before him sat all sorts of magical equipment, moving on their own or otherwise stationary. Dumbledore sat down on a finely crafted golden winged chair behind a large oak desk, pieces of parchment and magical items scattered along it. He gestured for Harry to take a seat in front of him,

"Lemon Drop Harry?", the old wizard asked, holding out a tin of oval shaped lemon treats,

"Thank you, professor,", Harry replied, taking one and placing it in his mouth,

"I must thank you for your letter over the summer Harry, I'm quite glad that you're enjoying your present", Dumbledore told him, with a friendly glint in his eyes,

"Once again, thank you professor, it's been pretty fun to use. I've been using it to sneak up on Rose. I don't think she appreciates it as much as I do", Harry answered grinning.

The old professor chuckled at the boy's antics before continuing, "On the matter of your sister, I went about the task you set me with great diligence, and what I have found should please you very much Mr Potter",

Dumbledore reached down into one of his many draws and retrieved a long thin box and laid it on the table. Harry eyed it curiously as the professor motioned for him to open it. Opening the box, Harry came face to face with two wands, one shorter than the other.

"Those Harry, are your parent's wands", Dumbledore stated,

Harry's head shot up immediately, taking in what the professor just said,

"I managed to retrieve them the night they were murdered, I thought it appropriate that you and your sister should have them after all these years", Dumbledore continued.

Harry tried to make a word, but he failed to, at some point he had swallowed his lemon drop, almost causing him to choke. That little fright snapped him out of his trance and he looked up at the professor,

"But sir, I thought wands don't work as well if they're passed down?",

The old professor gave Harry a smile, "Quite right Harry, however, if you were to give your mothers wand to Rose, I think you would find she would be quite competent with it. You see, the bond between a mother and child is like no other, and thus the wand adapts to that magic as well.

'It would be nigh impossible for a mother to kill or harm her own children with her wand, as the wand would have been used whilst the mother was pregnant. As such, the wand detects two users of the wand. The mother, and the child in the womb.

'Your fathers on the other hand, whilst yes it would feel a connection to you both being a child of the master, it's loyalties would still be conflicted".

Harry nodded in understanding as he studied both wands in his hands. He picked up his mothers and studied it carefully, remembering what Ollivander had told him, ' _Willow, 10 ¼ ", Unicorn hair'._

"Thank you for this professor, I'm sure Rose will be thrilled to get her wand so early, and mum's wand at that",

"You're quite welcome my boy, now, let me escort you back to Gryffindor tower, don't want Mr Filch thinking you're out and about".

Harry nodded his thanks as the two made their way back downstairs into the hallway. The two made idle chatter as they walked the halls, stopping occasionally to talk to a portrait. Eventually they made their way back to the tower and Harry let himself inside, bidding the professor goodnight. When Harry entered his dorm room, he found all of his friends fast asleep in their beds. Not wishing to disturb them, Harry silently changed out of his clothes, stashed his parent's wands, and hopped into bed, letting sleep overtake him.

The next morning, the boys woke up at the crack of dawn, all except Ron who struggled to get out of bed at all. Harry and his mates made their way downstairs where they found Hermione waiting for them, reading one of her textbooks on one of the many common room couches.

"Morning Hermione", Harry called out,

The bushy haired girl looked up from her book and waved over to them, "Morning boy's, ready for class today?".

Harry and Alec nodded their heads in anticipation, but Ron merely shrugged as he failed to communicate his words. Rolling her eyes, Hermione made her way up to Ron before snapping her fingers in front of him, "Wakey wakey sleeping beauty, let's go get some breakfast".

Ron's eyes shot awake at the mention of breakfast, "Blimey, what are we still doing here, let's go already!".

And with that, the red head charged out of the common room and down into the corridor, his chuckling friends following close behind. Entering the Great Hall, the foursome found themselves a seat next to Neville and Seamus on the Gryffindor table, piling their plates with food ready for the day.

As they ate, Professor McGonagall made her rounds, passing out timetables to the students already present, "Here you are Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Mr Henderson, Miss Granger, I think you'll find you'll have transfiguration with myself this morning. Please, don't be late" the stern old professor said before moving on.

The foursome nodded their understanding and thanks and went back to eating and chatting amongst themselves. Afterwards they popped back up to the tower to grab the supplies and books they needed before heading back down to the transfiguration classroom. Piling in, the group found their seats and sat waiting for the professor to begin her lesson. She instructed the class that she had a no tolerance policy towards troublemaking and would ask students to leave and never come back should they misbehave. She then showed them a few transfiguration spells of her own, turning her desk into a pig and back, and even showing them her animagi form, a cat with dark round patches around her eyes where her glasses would be.

The task that she set for the day was transfiguring a matchstick into a needle. Handing out the wooden matchsticks, she taught the class the proper theory and incantation, and went about letting the students try. Harry focused on what his textbooks had told him, and after about ten minutes, he managed to turn his matchstick into a perfect needle,

"Impressive Potter, 10 points for Gryffindor", McGonagall commented,

By the end of the lesson, only Harry and Hermione had succeeded. Ron managed to turn his into a needle, however it still had a wooden pattern to it. Alec managed to turn the matchstick into metal and little else. The foursome wrapped up the class, but before they could head off to DADA, McGonagall called Harry over after the lesson.

"Mr Potter! A word if I may?", the stern old witch called out,

Harry nodded to his friends to go ahead without him and made his way back to her desk.

"Mr Potter, I had high hopes for you. It seems those hopes have not been diminished", McGonagall told him, giving him a rare smile,

"Thank you, Professor, I made sure to read all my textbooks thoroughly, Rose, my sister, made sure that I make notes on all my books", Harry recalled,

"Wise girl that one, I look forward to teaching her, though if you've inherited your parent's magical talent, which I guess you have, I think Professor Flitwick will have most of her talent to himself" McGonagall suggested,

"I'm not sure I understand Professor?" Harry queried

"Your mother was exceptionally good in the fields of charms and potions, your father on the other hand preferred transfiguration and defence, I suspect that you might just thrive in defence, Mr Potter" McGonagall stated,

"Thank you, Professor, speaking of which, I have a DADA class I have to get to right now, if that's okay?" Harry informed her,

"Of course, Mr Potter, off you go. And remember your homework, I want to be excited about teaching you, not bored", McGonagall called out to him as he made his way out of the classroom.

Harry caught up with his friends outside of the classroom as they made their way into the lesson. Quirrell it turned out, was quite the useless teacher. He loaded his classroom with garlic, to keep away vampires, and rarely taught anything to the class. Instead he would talk about random occurrences in his life, such as how he got his turban from a thankful African prince who he saved from a zombie. However, he rarely every elaborated as to how he did these acts, instead going on random tangents such as the weather or Quidditch teams.

By the end of his first lesson, Harry was incredibly bored, and hoped that his other lessons would be at least insightful. Charms turned out to be a great deal of entertainment. The small little Professor Flitwick was a brilliant teacher, encouraging the whole class to perform well. Harry once again found that his prior reading and notetaking with Rose served him well, as he managed perform the assigned charms within the lessons time period. His last class of the day was potions with Professor Snape. Ron was anxious about meeting the feared professor, however Harry had revised his potions book more than any other and was quite sure he would do well today.

Taking their places in the dungeon classroom, Ron, Alec, Harry and Hermione waited diligently for the professor to arrive. Gryffindor's shared their potions lessons with the Slytherins, and as such had to put up with the whispered insults, and louder ones too, that came hurling their way. Eventually Snape made his way to the classroom, his cape billowing like bat wings as he swooped up to the teaching desk.

Much like every other class, Snape began with the roll, pausing on Harry's,

"Ah, yes, Harry Potter. Our new…celebrity",

The Slytherins sniggered at Snape's snide remark as Harry flushed with embarrassment. He never wanted to be a celebrity, he merely wanted a normal life with his family. He couldn't have any of that now since his parents were gone and he was considered wizarding royalty.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic.

'I don't expect you will really understand the beatify of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper…death.

'If you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have the pleasure of teaching".

Harry thought that the potion master's speech was a little overdone, a mere welcome to potions would have sufficed, yet he respected the fact that the classroom was quiet and all attention towards him.

"Potter!", Snape called suddenly,

Harry snapped out of his observations and sat at attention, looking head on at the professor,

"If I add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood, what would happen?",

The beady black eyes of the professor bored into Harrys eyes as sifted through his mind to find the answer, finding it somewhere near his first potions textbook memories.

"I believe you would create a Draught of Living Death" Harry answered,

The potion master looked taken aback by the correct answer and looked at him steadily,

"That is…correct…Mr Potter. Tell me though, where can I find a bezoar?", the professor asked him,

"In the stomach of a goat sir, it can cure most poisons if used quickly enough", Harry answered again,

"Once again…correct…Mr Potter. Last question, monkshood and wolfbane, what is the difference?", Snape asked him one last time,

"None sir, they are the same plant, just different names. However, it can also be called aconite" Harry answered the professor, maintaining a neutral face.

"That is…correct. Tell me Mr Potter, where did you learn these facts?", Snape took on a querying but stern look as he asked him,

"My sister and I went through my potions textbook before school started, and I also went through some of my mother's textbooks", Harry answered him,

Snape's eyes widened slightly, Harry noticed, when he mentioned his mother. Retreating his gaze from Harry's eyes, he looked around the classroom before speaking,

"Shouldn't you all be taking notes!" he snarled angrily,

He looked back down at Harry before speaking, "And you, Mr Potter, 10 points…" He paused as the Gryffindor's held their breath,

"…to…Gryffindor, for your correct answers. And Mr Potter, see me after class", the potion master told him.

Harry was ecstatic that he gotten points for Gryffindor in potions, a rare feat for most. Most of the Gryffindor's Hermione too, gave him a thumbs up at his performance. The class was given a recipe for the creation of a boils cure potion. Setting to work in pairs, Alec and Harry teamed up whilst Harry shoved Ron off to work with Hermione, much to his tongued tied arguments. Harry and Alec worked diligently together, creating a potion which to Harry, seemed almost perfect. Harry began to look around the room, noticing before anyone that Neville was about to make a catastrophic failure by adding the porcupine quills before he had taken the cauldron off the heat.

"Neville! Not yet! Take the cauldron off the fire first!" Harry whispered over hurriedly,

Neville stopped in his tracks, about to pour the quills in. He told Seamus to quickly take the cauldron off the fire, only adding the quills after Seamus had set the iron belly down. His potion hissed but did not seem to be failing, and before long Neville looked over to him and gave him a wave of thanks. It appeared that Snape was too busy praising the efforts of Malfoy to notice the exchange between the two Gryffindor's. The end of the lesson drew near, and Harry scooped up a vial of his potion to present to Snape. Taking it up to his desk, Harry handed his vial over to Snape, who eyed him sceptically.

Raising the vial to the sunlight shining from one of the few windows, the professor inspected Harry's potion. Without saying a word, Snape placed the vial into a slot next to the others,

"You may sit, Potter", Snape told Harry, who still sat there waiting for a reply on his work.

Soon all of the class handed in their vials of potions and began to shuffle off out of the classroom. Harry waved at his friends as they looked back in sympathy and caution as they left their friend to be interrogated by the feared potion master.

"Mr Potter…it seems that fame has not corrupted your mind", the professor began, taking a seat in front of the boy,

"No sir, to be completely honest, I had no idea about being a wizard, or my parents, or even apparently defeating Voldemort, until about four months ago". Harry told him,

Snape's left eyebrow rose in curiosity, "And why is that, Potter" Snape asked him,

"My sister and I lived with my abusive uncle and aunt until recently, when Professor Dumbledore rescued the pair of us and took us to my mother's parents", Harry answered him,

Snape grunted at the boys reply, mulling things over in his mind before replying, "You've got talent in potions, I cannot deny it. But I will not give you special privilege for being a celebrity, is that clear?", Snape stated,

"Perfectly sir, in all honestly that's all I want, all I want is a normal life. But I guess fate had another path for me" Harry told him,

Snape stared at the boy for a bit before rising off his chair, "You may go now…Mr Potter. I look forward to seeing what you can…really do"

"Thank you, professor, I'll take my leave", and with that Harry rose off his chair and made his way out of the dungeon.

Harry made his way to the great hall where dinner was being served, finding his friends and taking a seat next to him,

"So, how'd it go, I've been watching the hourglass to see if any points were lost", Hermione asked him,

Harry shook his head as he piled he plate up, "He just said that I wouldn't treat me special for being a 'celebrity', and that I did a good job in potions today",

"Blimey mate, that's got to be the first compliment he's ever given to anyone who isn't a snake", Ron exclaimed,

"Strewth, that's for sure, bloody tosser treats everyone like rubbish except his precious Slytherins. Well done anyway mate", Alec told him,

They continued with their conversations as they ate their food diligently, hungry after their first day of lessons. Sometime before desert, Hagrid came up to Harry with a small package in his hands,

"Evenin' you lot, got a request for yeh 'arry. I know its little Rosey's birthday tomorrow and I twas wonderin' if you could get Hedwig to deliver my present to 'er along with yours?" the half giant asked,

"Sure thing Hagrid, I was gonna send it off tonight so your timing is perfect",

"Thanks a lot 'arry. While I'm here, would you lot like to come down tomorrow for a cuppa tea after mornin' classes", Hagrid asked,

"Sure thing Hagrid, I'm sure we'd all like to go", Hermione answered for them,

Ron and Alec nodded their heads in approval,

"Course we'll be there Hagrid, wouldn't miss it for the world' Harry told him,

"Thank's you lot, I'll see yeh down there tomorrow then aye", and with that the games keeper made his way back up to the staff table to enjoy the evening feast.

Before long, deserts were finished and the group of students made their way back up to Gryffindor tower. Harry made his way up to the dorm rooms and grabbed his mothers and fathers' wands and wrapped them up nice and tight in some lovely wrapping paper Harry had brought from home. Taking a bit of parchment and ink, Harry began to write his first letter to his sister from Hogwarts.

 _Dear Rose, also known as dearest sister of mine,_

 _First day here and already I'm ruling the castle. I've deposed Dumbledore and now I plan to march on London to become supreme wizarding ruler. Only joking. But seriously Rose, everyone here treats me like I'm some sort of god. The students, even the older ones, keep gawking at me. The only plus side is that at least the teacher's expectations in me are fulfilled. I smashed all my classes today, DADA, transfiguration, charms, and even potions were a breeze. I can't wait for you to get here next year, that way we can dominate the school together, like evil twins._

 _Anyway, to the more pressing issue, by the time you get this…I will be dead…also joking. But seriously by the time you will get this you'll be 10 YEARS OLD! Stop growing up will you! Soon you'll want to date and I'll have to make you a nun. To celebrate you ignoring my plea's and continuing to age anyway, I got you a very special present, just for you. All I'll say is the smaller one is mums, and the bigger one is dads. You'll want to use mums, don't worry, I already talked to Professor Dumbledore about it. In fact, he was the one who gave them to me. Dad's I'd like to keep, maybe get it mounted or something, I'll sort it out when I get home. Otherwise just keep it in the bedroom._

 _Anyway, Happy birthday my loving sister, I hope you have a fantastic day without me, and with that beautiful red head Ginny, don't tell her I said that. Seriously._

 _I miss you and am thinking of you,_

 _With all my love,_

 _Your adorably cute, and handsome,_

 _Big brother, Harry…the Demigod._

 _P.S. the other package is from Hagrid, Happy birthday from him too._

Harry wrapped the letter up nice and tight in a beautiful baby blue string. Attaching the letter and presents to Hedwig, the bird nipped affectionately on his hand as he petted her.

"Now, you make sure Rose gets this tomorrow you hear? And make sure you stay there for the day, come back tomorrow night. Now off you go, good luck girl", and with that, Hedwig was off to deliver her package.

Harry went back downstairs to complete his homework for the night, then maybe play some wizards chess with Ron before finally retiring for the night.

 _ **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**_

Rose woke up early Tuesday morning to the sound of breakfast being made downstairs. She blinked her eyes open and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she flung the sheets off herself and stood up from the bed,

"Morning Harr…Oh.", Rose suddenly remembered that her brother was not there, but off at Hogwarts.

A small tear escaped her eye as she went to the bathroom to shower and change before breakfast. It had taken the whole day on Sunday to eventually settle her. She had cried herself to sleep that night, holding one of her brother's shirts to remind herself of his presence and smell. Monday was not as bad. Ginny had kept her company throughout the day, and went off playing around the house grounds, making up stories and pretending to be crime fighting witches.

However, today was her birthday, and she was now 10 years old, a significant day in the muggle world. However, her beloved brother would not be here for her today, as he had been for the last 10 of her birthdays, even the one's neither of them remembered. Hopping out of the shower and getting dressed, Rose made her way downstairs to be greeted by her grandparents,

"Happy birthday Rose sweetheart", Juni told her granddaughter as she embraced her in a tight bearhug.

"Happy birthday my lovely girl" Alex joined in.

"Thanks Grandma, thanks Grandpa. Has Harry sent me a letter?" Rose asked,

"He certainly has, there's a couple of parcels on the longue room table for tonight, or now if you want to open them", Juni told her,

Rose shook her head, "No, I'll wait for tonight when everyone is here".

Setting herself down next to her grandfather, Rose soon tucked into the plate of food that Juni had just placed in front of her Granddaughter, "So, I've invited the Weasleys around for the day, I hope that's okay by you?" Juni asked as she took a seat next to Rose and Alex,

"Of course, Grandma, that's perfectly okay. Ginny is my best friend and Mr and Mrs Weasley are lovely people" Rose reassured her Grandmother.

As Rose continued to eat her breakfast, a knock on the door interrupted the eating spree. Alex rose from the table and went off to investigate, bringing back the smiling Weasleys, well what was left. Arthur, Molly and of course Ginny all came in to greet her and bade her a happy birthday.

"Happy birthday Rose! Has Harry sent you a toilet seat yet?" Arthur asked her, earning him a glare from Molly,

Rose laughed out loud as she answered the Weasley Patriarch, "I'm afraid not Mr Weasley, though he has sent me something, that's for sure",

"Oh, Happy Birthday, Rose dear, it's not much but I hope you'll like it" Molly told her, giving her a backbreaking bearhug.

"thanks…Mrs…Wealsey" Rose tried to say, gasping for air. The Weasley matriarch noticed and pulled back, giving her a sheepish smile.

"I'm sure I'll love whatever you got me" Rose told them.

Lastly, Ginny bounded over and gave her best friend a tight hug, much like her mothers,

"Happy birthday Rose! Here, I got you this, don't open it yet though, you'll want to wait till it's night-time She told Rose, giving her a brilliant smile.

The two girls spent most of the day playing around in the garden, climbing in tree's and gossiping about boys from the village. Somehow, they ended up talking about Harry once again,

"So, Ginny, would you like Harry to write to you?" She asked the redhead,

Ginny blushed bright red at her friends' question, "I-I mean, why would Harry write to me?"

"Because he likes you and you like him you twit" Rose replied,

"So, doesn't mean he'll want write to me, I'm just his friends' sister…"

"Ginny, I don't think he thinks about you like that. For starters, you met him the same time as your brother, and have spent just as much time around him as Ron has. You're just as much Harry's friend as your brother is",

"Thanks Rose…I really appreciate you bucking me up like this" Ginny smiled at her,

"Hey, we redheads got to stick together, besides, you could be my future sister-in-law" Rose told her, an evil grin spreading across her face.

Ginny stood there, mouth agape, trying to talk but failing to do so.

"What's the matter Ginny, cat got your tongue?" Rose teased,

"You are such a cow Rose Potter!" Ginny spat,

Rose laughed at her friend as she shoved her arm playfully,

"Hey who knows, you might have little Potters yourself…Mrs Potter" Rose said, wiggling her eyebrows,

If Ginny could get any redder, it would be because of Rose's last comment.

"You're killing me here Rose", Ginny told her, holding her hand to her heart and the back of her hand to her forehead in mock death.

The two continued on with their banter until the sunset started to seep in between the trees. Making their way back inside, the two redheads found their respective families stationed around the Evans table with a large feast awaiting them. Without waiting any further, the two girls dug in and piled their plates full, putting their brothers eating habits to shame.

Before long, Juni brought out Rose's cake, a beautiful heart-shaped New York style cheesecake. The group happily dug into the cake and soon they were all as full as googs. Retreating into the longue room for present opening, Ginny sat down next to her friend as usual, and decided to pass presents to Rose instead of Rose getting them herself.

"This one is from mum and dad" Ginny told her, passing the Weasley's present.

Opening it up, Rose was presented with a beautiful pair of burgundy coloured Kashmir gloves, hand knitted by Mrs Weasley,

"Thank you so much Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley", Rose told them as she stood to embrace them,

"You're very welcome dear" Molly told her with a smile,

Ginny retrieved another package from the pile for Rose to open, "Here, this is from your Gran and Gramps ",

Opening her families present, Rose found three brand new Romance novels that she had been looking at in the village,

"How did you guys know!?" Rose asked her family,

"Harry told us you were looking at them when you went in to get wrapping paper for his birthday. I know you read Lily's old novels, but I thought it was time you had your own" Juni told her granddaughter.

Rose stood up and hugged both her grandparents before sitting back down to receive another present.

"This one is mine…I hope you like it", Ginny told her sheepishly,

Opening it up, Rose was presented with a small clear ball with white wings attached to it. Picking it up and curiously looking at it, it suddenly turned a deep purple.

"it's an emotion ball, it's like a snitch but instead of having to catch it and what not, as soon as you touch it, it's attached to you. It lights up to how you feel, and you can even have it follow you around if you want, hence the wings." Ginny told her, hoping she liked the gift,

Rose gave her friend a broad smile as she threw the ball up in the air, letting the wings take over and float just above her,

"It's brilliant Ginny! It's like a mood ring that actually works!" Rose told her friend,

"What's a mood ring?" Ginny asked,

"Muggle thing" Rose told her.

At the mention of Muggles, Arthur leaned forward on his chair, hoping to hear more, only to have Molly jab him in the ribs with her elbow. Rose caught her emotion ball and tucked it back into its box before taking the last two presents from Ginny,

"This small one is from Hagrid, and this one is from H-harry" Ginny told her.

Taking Hagrid's first, Rose opened it up to reveal a beautiful set of hair ribbons, rock cakes and a note.

Opening the note, Rose read out loud for the group to hear,

 _Dear Rosey,_

 _Happy Birthday! Blimey it was only yesterday that you could fit in one of my hands. I got you some of my own rock cakes, good with cream, yeh should try 'em. The ribbons are unicorn hair, managed to nab some from the forest, enough for Professor Flitwick to turn them into ribbons. Good thing with them is that yeh can dye them and the colour comes right out with a bit of water. Can't wait for yeh to get 'ere next year Rosey, I'll look after 'arry for yeh don't worry,_

 _Hagrid_

Rose put the note aside and picked up one of the three ribbons and ran it through her hands. It was beautifully soft to touch, and very strong by the feel of it.

"Blimey Rose, unicorn hair! Those must be the most expensive hair ribbons ever!" Ginny told her,

"Here, take one", Rose told her, holding a ribbon in her hand,

"W-what! I can't take that, it's your present", Ginny argued,

"Yeah, and It's mine to do as I wish, and I wish to give my first friend, and best friend a gift. So, stop arguing or else I'll tell my brother", She grinned at her wickedly.

At the mention of Harry, Ginny blushed and submitted to her friend's request, taking a ribbon and placing it in her pocket.

"Thank you Rose, I love it" Ginny told her friend, smiling at her,

"Now go on and open your last present", Juni interrupted,

Taking her brothers gift she opened the wrapping to reveal a lovely wooden box. She opened the letter first and began to read out loud. Her brother's antics made the room chuckle with laughter, as she added her own comments here and there. Eventually she finished up, a single tear flowing down her cheek as she put the letter gently aside for safe keeping. Opening the box, she gasped as she opened it up. Staring right at her were two beautiful wands. Rose automatically made the connection and realised that these were her parent's wands.

Taking the smaller of the two wands, Rose held it in her hands, as a sudden warmth spread throughout her and red sparks spot out from the tip.

"It's mum's wand…" Rose told the group,

Juni had tears in her eyes as she remembered buying said wand in Diagon Alley all those years ago. Rose took the other wand out, feeling only a faint warmth in her hand. Putting her father's wand back in the box carefully, Rose studied her mother's wand some more.

"Well I guess I won't have to get a wand next year" Rose joked, as tears streamed down her face freely,

Ginny embraced her friend as Rose laid her head on Ginny's shoulder,

"God, why does my brother have to be such a wonderful boy. Why can't he just be an obnoxious brat who sends me socks for my birthday instead of wonderful things like this" Rose sobbed into her friend's shoulder.

Soon Juni and Alex both came over and embraced their granddaughter, as grandmother and granddaughter cried on for their lost ones, a mother and a daughter.

The rest of the night was fairly subdued after Harry's gift. Molly and Arthur reminded Rose not to perform magic whilst at home, and told her that she could come over and learn some simple spells from Molly during the week. With the Weasleys departing for the Burrow, the Evans retreated to their rooms for sleep after baying each other goodnight. Rose sat her wand down by the nightstand and set her other presents on the desk, before taking out a piece of parchment and ink, ready to write a letter to her brother.

 _Dear Harry, also known as best brother in the world,_

 _You are a total prat, you know that. You made me bawl my eyes out receiving your gift. Why do you have to be such an amazing brother, why can't you just be an annoying sod like Ron! Thank you so much Harry, of all the gifts I'd thought you'd get me, mum and dad's wands were the last thing I thought you'd get me. Thank Hagrid for me as well, he got me some lovely homemade (Magic made) Unicorn hair ribbons._

 _Now, onto more pressing matter. My dear brother…you are to start writing to Ginny from tomorrow. Just say hello and tell her about what you're up to. It only has to be one letter per week, or however many you want._

 _I'm glad to hear you're doing so well as well Harry, I'm so proud of you, and so are Gran and Gramps. I can't wait to show them who really has the brains of the family._

 _Love you with all my heart Harry,_

 _Your little sister, the best sister,_

 _Rose Potter, Best Potter,_

Wrapping her letter up, Rose strapped it to Hedwig's foot and sent her out into the night with an affectionate pat. Crawling up into bed, Rose couldn't help but feel lonely at missing her brother, but knew he was happy and learning all he could. She was proud of him, and him of her. She just wished that she could sit in bed and discuss all her worries with him instead of having to rely on owls bringing letters back and forth. Letting sleep overtake her, Rose shut her eyes and started to dream of the lovely day she had and how much better it would have been if Harry was there.


	7. Flying, Midnight Adventures & Luna

**Flying lessons, Midnight adventures, Luna Lovegood: Chapter 7**

Harry's week went as smoothly as the first day at Hogwarts. On Tuesday afternoon, Harry and his friends made their way down to Hagrid hut to visit the half giant. Earlier that morning, the Daily Prophet had reported that a high security vault at Gringotts had been robbed, or at least broken into as the item inside had already been withdrawn. Harry and his friends had mentioned it to Hagrid, and asked if he knew anything about it.

The half giant suspiciously didn't talk about it, avoiding the conversation…and Harry's eyes. The rest of the group agreed that it was highly suspicious, and all agreed that Hagrid probably knew more than he was letting on.

Harry suffered his first history of magic class, falling asleep within the first 10 minutes, only being able to revise thanks to the notes Hermione wrote down. Surprisingly, Alec seemed to be taking a fair few notes as well. He explained that he always had a fascination with history, however he agreed that Professor Binns, the ghost professor of history, was far too boring. Harry continued to do well in the rest of his classes, especially transfiguration and potions. McGonagall had started to give Harry a couple of new spells to learn ahead of everyone, and Snape had agreed to allow Harry access to a second-year potions textbook to study. Herbology wasn't exactly Harry's strong spot however, but neither was it his weakest. Neville however, thrived in herbology and earned the respect of Professor Sprout, the herbology teacher.

What everyone was looking forward to most however was flying lessons on Friday. Ron had already told Hermione and Alec that Harry was a fantastic flyer, much to Harry's embarrassment.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about Harry, you're the best flyer I've ever seen", Ron told him,

Just as Harry was about to argue, Draco Malfoy interrupted, barging into the group with his goons Crabbe and Goyle, "That's a laugh, old scarhead on a broom. You won't last five seconds in the air Potter, you'll be flat on your arse before the lesson even begins",

"Go shove it Malfoy, don't you have a professor to suck up to", Harry retorted

"You should be asking yourself that Potter, I've heard how teachers have been praising you. I'm not fooled, you're nothing but a farce", Malfoy sneered,

Harry was about to throttle the fool until Ron and Alec grabbed hold of the boy's arms, "Now now Malfoy, might want to watch it. That stupid little face of yours might end up getting bloodied" Alec spat at the boy,

Malfoy and his goons left the group alone, laughing at them and making snide comments as they stalked off.

Soon Friday came around and the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins made their way down to the practice field by the Quidditch pitch. They were greeted by Madam Hooch, the broom instructor and Quidditch referee. The group each took a spot next to a broom lying on the ground, awaiting instruction from Hooch.

"Right, Welcome to flying lessons. In these lessons, you will listen to my every word, in order to avoid injury. When you're ready, I want you to put your hand out, and in a strong firm voice, say UP. Is that understood",

The group nodded and grumbled in affirmation as they readied their hands.

"Now, call your broom", Hooch instructed,

Harry called his broom in a firm, clear voice, _'UP',_ causing the broom to shoot straight up into his hand. Grinning, Harry looked around at who else had managed it. Ron and Alec appeared to have gotten it on their second try, and much to his dismay, Malfoy too. Hermione was still struggling, as was Neville. After about five minutes, the whole class had their brooms in their hands, awaiting their next instructions.

"Now that you have your brooms, I want you to place it in between your legs, and holding on to your broom with both hands, kick off on my mark. Understood?", the stern Quidditch coach instructed,

Once again, the class nodded and grunted in understanding as they swung their legs over the brooms and got ready to kick off. Hooch went around and checked everyone's positioning, congratulating Ron, Alec and Harry on their excellent stances, and scolding Malfoy for his poor handling.

"But that's how I always hold my broom! That's how I was taught!", Malfoy argued,

"Well whoever taught you was clearly wrong", Hooch chided,

"Now, on my mark, lift off with a firm kick to the ground, and bring your broom to a steady a few feet off the ground. Ready. Kick off!", Hooch called out, blowing on her whistle.

With a firm hard kick, Harry kicked off from the ground, like he had many an occasion at the Weasleys. Floating there for a moment, Harry steadied his broom before bringing it back down. Harry was brought out of his concentration by a scream from one of the girls. Harry looked over and spotted Neville slowly floating higher and higher.

"Mr Longbottom, bring your broom back down here straight away!" Hooch called out,

Neville started to panic, and lost control of his broom, starting to fly jaggedly and dangerously close to the castle walls. Without thinking, Harry shot off from his position towards Neville. As if by some chance of predestination, Neville fell off his broom at the moment Harry took off, starting to fall a good 30ft. Harry reached Neville just in time to catch him by the wrist, making the broom dip a good 10ft. However, as Harry caught Neville, the boy's momentum continued and caused him to slam into the castle wall, with a sickening crunch to his arm.

Harry softly laid the boy down onto the grass and landed next to him, "Neville, are you alright mate?" Harry asked him,

"M-my arm…I th-think it's broken", Neville cried,

Madam Hooch came running over, with the other students close behind, awaiting the news on their fellow student. Kneeling down in front of the boy, Hooch examined Neville's arm before speaking,

"Definitely a broken arm, come on Mr Longbottom, I'll take you to the hospital wing. Well done, by the way Mr Potter, that was quick thinking, 20 points to Gryffindor. I want you all to stay put! If I see one broom in the air you'll be out of here before you can say bludger!", Hooch told the group as she picked Neville up by his non-broken arm and took him off to the hospital wing.

As they were leaving, Malfoy strode over and picked up a clear glass ball in his hand," would you look at this, Longbottom's dropped his little remembreball",

Harry remembered that Neville had received the ball this morning in the mail from his Grandmother. The ball had immediately turned red, causing a round of laughter around the Gryffindor table. Harry however, knew that Neville needed that ball more than anyone else,

"Hand it over Malfoy, it belongs to Neville", Harry ordered Malfoy,

"Want to be a hero hey Potter, well how about we have a little competition…", Malfoy replied, before kicking off from the ground,

"Harry don't do it, Madam Hooch said stay on the ground!" Hermione called out to him,

But it did little good as Harry kicked off and zoomed up to the Slytherin with haste, catching the boy off guard.

"What. An. Idiot", Hermione stated as she watched Harry fly off,

"Hand it over, Malfoy, I can chase you 'round here all day but you'll never loose me", Harry venomously told him,

"Alright then Potter, why don't you go catch it!" Malfoy spat at him, as he threw the ball as far as he could,

Harry kept a careful eye on it as he flew straight towards its path, before finally flipping his broom and catching the ball just before he, and the ball, collided with the tower it was flying towards. Harry made his way back down to a cheering Gryffindor crowd as they piled onto him, congratulating him for his catch. Before they could congratulate him further, a stern voice shot out from the other side of the practice pitch, towards the castle.

"MR POTTER! Come with me please!", Professor McGonagall called out to him,

Harry's stomach plummeted as he thought about the punishment awaiting him. He'd only just gotten into Hogwarts, he couldn't be expelled now, he had so much to do and try. Harry followed the stern professor through the halls of Hogwarts, stopping out front of the DADA classroom.

"Professor Quirrell, may I borrow Wood for a moment?" McGonagall asked the DADA teacher,

The turban wearing professor nodded his approval in surprise and a well-built brown-haired boy came out of the classroom. Harry remembered the twins talking about a Woods who was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He wondered what McGonagall might want with him

Before he could think any further though, McGonagall spoke up, "Wood, I have found you a new Seeker!" She exclaimed excitingly.

The boy's eyes perked up as he looked over Harry, eyeing him up and down," A seeker professor? Are you sure?"

McGonagall nodded her head in approval as she spoke," I saw Mr Potter here catch a remembreball from a throw at least 50 feet from its original position, doing a full 360-degree flip whilst catching it, avoiding the window in my office".

"Is that right Potter? Sounds mighty impressive" Wood told him, "I'd like to see your skill for myself then, how about I take you out to the field tomorrow?",

"Sure thing, I'm free all day. What time do you want me down there?" Harry asked him,

"How about I meet you in the Great Hall at 10, sound fair?" Wood replied,

Harry nodded his approval as McGonagall re-joined the conversation, "Well then it's settled, Mr Potter, if you'd like to head off back to the pitch, I'm sure your friends would like to hear about this development"

Harry nodded in agreement and made his way back to the pitch, bidding the two farewell.

The next few days were full of excitement as word about Harry's appointment as Gryffindor Seeker spread throughout the castle. When Harry had told Ron and the twins, they all gave him a ' _I told you so'_ look, reminding him that they said Wood would recruit him. The day after the flying incident, Wood dragged Harry down to the pitch to properly evaluate him. Wood explained the role of a seeker into more detail, as well as their training regimen and strategies. Harry treated the Gryffindor captain to a fantastic show of skill, as he weaved in and out of the Quidditch pitch towers and stands, catching the practice snitch within minutes. At the end of the 30-minute evaluation, Wood gave Harry the position and went off to announce the news.

Harry had written a letter to Rose that night, informing her of the latest developments. As he sat there in Gryffindor Tower, Harry rolled up his letter to Rose, remembering what his sister had told him about writing to Ginny. Taking another piece of parchment, Harry began to write a letter to his friend,

 _Dear Ginny,_

 _Rose told me, under threat of being hexed, that I should start writing to you. Fearing for what my sister could do to me, I finally decided to agree to her orders and write you a letter. All jokes aside I'm quite happy to write to you, knowing full well how little Ron writes home._

 _Where to begin with my first week at Hogwarts…well for starters I've already made the Quidditch team, much to your brother's joy. I've been nailing most of my classes here, and I've decided to name myself headmaster for life, after disposing of Dumbledore first of course. That last part may or may not be true._

 _I hope Rose is treating you alright, and not embarrassing you or pressuring you too much, I know that she can be a bit much at times. You mean a lot to her, being her first friend, and you mean a lot to me too. Before I met you and your brother I had no friends, only Rose, and now I have you, Ron, and all of your family, plus the friends I've made here._

 _I can't wait for you to come here next year, you'll have a blast running the school along with Rose and I._

 _Take care Ginny,_

 _Yours,_

 _Harry, aka Hogwarts Headmaster for life_

Harry rolled up his letter to Ginny and attached it to Hedwig's leg along with Rose's letter. Sending the bird off for her nightly delivery, Harry flopped himself onto his bed and shut his eyes for a bit, awaiting the arrival of his best friend. He didn't wait long until Ron showed up, and flopped onto his own bed.

"Blimey mate, those lot down there are going mental over you joining the team. Reckon they'll name you king soon", Ron joked,

"Well, as soon as they do, I'll make you my advisor. How's that sound", Harry joked back,

"Sounds fair to me mate", Ron grinned at him.

"So, what should we do for the night?", Ron asked him,

Harry shrugged his shoulders," Dunno, we could always sneak out?"

"Blimey, suppose so, Hermione would kill us though", Ron replied,

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her", Harry grinned.

Taking his father's invisibility cloak out of his trunk, he tucked it into his pocket and made his way down to the common room with Ron behind him. The two boys made their way over to Alec who was writing a letter by the window,

"Hey Harry, Hey Ron, what are you two still doing up?" Alec asked them as they took a seat next to him,

"We thought that a little adventure was in order to celebrate Harry's success", Ron told him,

"And how exactly are you going to go sneaking out?" Alec asked them, sounding sceptical.

Harry looked around the room to see if anyone else was waiting around, before pulling out of his pocket his father's cloak,

"This…belonged to my dad. It's an invisibility cloak", Harry told him, and as to prove a point, Harry stood up and wrapped it around himself, causing his body to disappear.

"Bloody hell mate! That's incredible! Alright then, where to then?" Alec asked Harry in amazement,

"Why don't we just go for a walk around the castle, see what we can find", Harry told Ron and Alec,

Nodding in agreement, the three boys made their way to the portrait hole. However, before they could get there, they heard someone clear their throat from the direction of the girl's stairs,

"And where exactly do you think you three are going at this time of night?", the voice revealed itself as Hermione,

"Um…we were just…going…for a walk?" Harry answered her,

"You do know you could get expelled for being out this late", Hermione reprimanded them,

"Oh, come on Hermione, we won't be going out for long. Besides, we've got Harry's invisibility cloak", Ron told her,

"Invisibility…cloak? Harry where did you get it?", Hermione asked,

"It was my fathers, Dumbledore gave it to me on my birthday", Harry answered, pulling it out to show her, and wrapping it around himself.

Hermione let out a gasp as she searched for Harry. He walked over to her underneath the cloak, before pulling it off right in front of her, causing her to squeak in surprise,

"HARRY! Don't scare me like that!" Hermione scathed him, hitting him in the chest lightly,

Harry chuckled as he made his way back over to the boys, "Come on Hermione, why don't you come join us, I'm sure my cloak has room for all of us", Harry asked her,

Hermione stood there for a moment, shifting from one foot to another, thinking things through. She had never had many friends, and now that she had some, she desperately didn't want to lose them now.

"But…but, we could get expelled…expelled! Oh, alright, but only for half an hour!", Hermione called out as she ran over to the boys.

The three boys smiled at her as they wrapped the cloak over top of them and invited her under. The four first years made their way out of the portrait hole and out into the night. They wandered around the castle halls, stopping once in a while to observe the corridors for any sign of patrolling teachers. They enjoyed finding all sorts of secret passages and rooms, portraits of famous wizards and witches, and magnificent suits of armour that lined the halls. Soon enough, half an hour came around, and Hermione reminded them that they needed to get back. Agreeing, the group made their way back to Gryffindor tower. However, before they could get there, they ran into one of Hogwarts most hated animals…Mrs Norris. The dusty coloured cat obviously sensed them in some way, and eyed them suspiciously, following them as they tried to back up. It was at this moment that Ron, who was at the back of the line, backed right up into a suit of armour, causing it to collapse with a loud thud and clang.

Around the corner they heard the tell-tale sign of Filch running to find the source of the noise,

"Students out of bed! We've got them this time my sweets!", Filch called out to no one in particular,

Fearing for punishment, the group decided to leg it rather than risk being caught,

"RUN!" Harry called out, leading them down a passage going the other way.

The foursome ran as quickly as they could, under the cover of the cloak, finding themselves going down another corridor which lead to a locked door,

"Bugger! It's locked" Ron cried out as he tried to budge the door,

"Oh, move out of the way", Hermione instructed him,

She took her wand out and pointed it at the key hole, saying out loud _'Alohomora',_ causing a clicking sound to spring forth from the door. Hermione pushed the door open and ushered the boys in, locking the door behind them again. The foursome waited with bated breaths by the door, listening to the sounds of Filch rummaging around the doorway, trying to find a trace of them. Not long after, the sounds of Filch's investigation came to a halt, as he proceeded back down the corridor and away from them.

The group looked around at each other in relief as they realized they had been spared from being caught. However, as they looked around, they suddenly noticed that they were not alone. Standing in the centre of the room sat a massive three headed dog, who had suddenly noticed their presence. Rearing its head in anger, the massive beast started to growl at the intruders. Screaming at the top of their lungs, the four friends scrambled out of the room as quickly as they could, only just avoiding the snapping teeth of the beast.

They ran all the way back to Gryffindor tower, not stopping for anything. Quickly giving the Fat Lady the password, the group ran over to a couch by the fireplace.

"What the bloody hell was that thing! Who keeps something like that locked up in a place like this!" Ron told them in paranoia,

"Strewth, that was insane, what the hell was it guarding", Alec added,

"Obviously none of you noticed the trapdoor it was sitting on top of", Hermione told them,

"What trapdoor?", Harry asked, stuffing his cloak back into his pocket,

"That…thing…dog I think, was sitting over a trapdoor in the middle of the room. I wonder what was in there", Hermione told them,

"Whatever is in there, it's got to be valuable to be locked up like that", Harry added.

The group sat there discussing what could possibly be locked up under the trapdoor. Eventually the group decided to call it a night and headed up to the perspective dorms. Harry placed his cloak back in his trunk and changed ready for bed, flopping in with a thud as his two best friends also flopped down onto their beds,

"Wha…who's there…Harry, Ron…Alec? What are you doing up", Neville suddenly spoke up, waking from the noise they were making,

"Oh you know, just finding three headed dogs and what not", Alec told him,

"oh…okay", Neville yawned, as his head hit the pillow again and fell straight to sleep.

The three friends looked around at each other and shared a quiet laugh at their friend's antics. Soon enough the boys let sleep take them over, and drifted off into their dreams. Harry's mind wandered thinking, about what could possibly be under the trapdoor.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

Rose woke up early Sunday morning, dripping in sweat from a nightmare she had just had. In her nightmare, she was watching Harry walk into a large stone room, with a mirror in the middle. A man was with him, a man who looked surprisingly like professor Quirrell. The Quirrell look alike attacked Harry, but before she could see what came of the attack, she woke up in fright. She pushed the dream away as merely that…a dream. Taking a quick shower and changing her clothes ready for the day, Rose made her way downstairs to the dining room where her Grandparents were currently enjoying their own breakfast.

"Good morning, Rose sweetheart, come have some breakfast", Juni said, looking up from her food,

"Morning Gran, Gramps ", Rose replied, coming to sit down at the table,

"So, what are you pans for today Rose?" Alex asked her,

"Ginny's taking me off to meet another friend of hers, Luna I think", Rose told her grandfather,

Ginny had asked her a couple of days ago if she wanted to go visit one of her childhood friends, Luna Lovegood. She was the same age as them and would be joining them at Hogwarts next year. Luna lived on the other side of town, not far from the Weasleys, so they would walk there from the Burrow.

"Well you enjoy yourself sweetheart, are you going to be here for dinner?", Juni asked her,

"I should be, I don't expect I'll be out all day", Rose answered her,

The family sat there and enjoyed their breakfast for the rest of the morning, discussing all sorts, from the weather, to sports results, news in both the muggle and wizarding world, and of course Harry's progress at school. Around 10, Ginny, came around to the Evans house via floo, ready to take Rose off for the day,

"Ready to go Rose!?" She called out from the longue room,

"COMING!" Rose yelled out her reply,

"Alright, I'll see you lot later tonight, love you!" Rose called out over her shoulder as she ran off to greet Ginny,

"Have a good time sweetheart!" her grandparents called out to her,

Rose greeted her friend in the longue room before they headed off to the Burrow,

"Hey Rose, ready for today?" She asked her friend,

"Sure are, let's go meet Luna", Rose replied,

The two friends threw in their floo powder and made their way over to the Burrow, where Molly greeted them both before they headed off to the Lovegood's home.

"Have a good time you two! And don't be late home!" Molly called out to them,

"We won't!" the duo replied,

The two friends began their walk down the road towards the Lovegood's, chatting aimlessly about anything and everything…including Harry.

"So, did Harry write you a letter?" Rose asked her,

"Um…maybe…." Ginny blushed,

"He so did, didn't he, was it good?" Rose pestered her friend,

"You can read it if you want, I've got it in my pocket" Ginny replied,

"Why do you have it in your pocket?",

"Because….",

"Because?",

"I wanted it to be safe alright!" Ginny replied with annoyance in her voce,

"So, let's see it then!"

Ginny took the letter from out of her back pocket and handed it to her friend, who quickly opened it and read through the entire thing. Grinning at her friend like mad, Rose handed the letter back to Ginny for safe keeping,

"You know, that bit about you being important to me is true",

"Don't worry, I know. And the same goes for you by the way", Ginny told her friend as she flung an arm around her shoulder,

"So, are you going to write a letter back? He seems mighty desperate for an answer" Rose asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

The redhead blushed fiercely before she could reply, "I-I'll write to him tonight, I promise"

"Good, wouldn't want to keep the poor boy waiting now would we" Rose teased, jabbing her fingers into Ginny's side,

"AH, stop that you, that tickles! And no, we wouldn't want to keep the 'poor' boy waiting" Ginny replied, slapping her friends arm lightly.

The two friends made their way across the outskirts of town, eventually stopping at the edge of a field which contained a big, stone like house in the middle.

"That's Luna's house there. Now, I must warn you, the Lovegood's are…eccentric to say the least. They believe in some rather cookoo things, but they're lovely people, Luna especially". Ginny told Rose,

"Sounds reasonable, what's her mum and dad like?" Rose replied,

"Well her dads just as bonkers as she is but he's a lovely man…as for her mother…. well, she died last year …" Ginny answered, a tear coming to her eye,

"Oh…that's unfortunate…" Rose thought about her own mother for a second, but pushed the thought away,

Making their way up to the house, they knocked on the door and awaited a reply. They didn't wait long before a man with shaggy white-blonde hair came and opened the door,

"Hello! Can I help you! Oh…Miss Weasley, how nice it is to see you, Luna's been wondering when you'd come around again", the man replied,

"Sorry about that Mr Lovegood, it's been a bit hectic these last few months, you know with the boys all back after Hogwarts and what not", Ginny replied,

"But of course, I understand, living in that family of yours one must hardly ever get time to themselves. Oh, but where are my manors, I haven't even introduced myself to your friend there",

Mr Lovegood stuck his hand out towards Rose as he introduced himself, "Xenophilius Lovegood at your service…Miss?",

"Potter, Madeline-Rose Potter. But my friends just call me Rose", the young Potter replied,

Xeno's eyes widened in surprise and hastily grabbed her hand in a shake, "Oh my, OH MY, Miss Potter, what an honour it is to meet you",

Rose, taken aback by the Xeno's outburst, sheepishly shook his hand back, "It's nice to meet you Mr Lovegood, I've heard some good things about you from the Weasley's",

"Ah yes, the Lovegood's and Weasley's go back a long time. Now, come on in, Luna is just up in her room, I'll go get her for you", Xeno replied.

The two girls followed Xeno into the house and sat down on a dusty old sky blue longue, awaiting the arrival of the young Lovegood. The duo sat there for a while, talking aimlessly, until a beautiful, dirty blonde-haired girl came bounding down the stairs to greet them.

"Hello Ginny, it's good to see you again. Who's your friend?" the girl asked,

"Hi Luna, this is my friend Rose…Rose Potter", Ginny replied,

Rose waved her hand sheepishly as the young girl inspected her eyes, "Well, you're remarkably clean of any Nargles, are you related to Harry Potter?" Luna asked her,

"Ah…yeah he's my brother. What's a Nargle?" Rose asked,

"A small little creature that flies into your ear and causes you to become violent and angry. Is your brother here with you?" the girl asked smiling,

"O…kay…. I'll remember that thanks Luna. And no, he's off at Hogwarts at the moment, he's a year older than me" Rose replied,

"Well Rose Potter, it's very nice to meet you. Shall we go off and play?", Luna asked the two,

The two friends agreed and took Luna outside where they headed down to the nearby stream. The girls climbed over the trees and played all sorts of muggle and wizard games. Eventually their bodies grew tired and they climbed a nearby tree to sit and relax and just talk as girls…well…for the most part.

"Daddy said that he's going to take me to Australia to go find a Bunyip, they're incredibly rare" Luna was telling the girls,

"I thought Bunyips were a myth?" Rose asked her,

"Oh no, people just don't like to believe they're real, they're misunderstood quite often." Luna replied,

Rose seemed to accept this answer and shrugged her shoulders. Somehow, once again, the topic of Harry was brought up,

"So, Rose, what does your brother look like? Is he as pretty as you?" Luna asked,

Rose chuckled at the strange girl and went to answer her when Ginny cut in, "She wishes, Harry is incredibly handsome, with messy jet-black hair, a cute small nose, beautiful silky skin, and the most amazing emerald eyes that you could just fall into…but…ah…I…Rose is just as good looking…"

Rose started to giggle at her friends fangirling over her crush, "Jeez Ginny, sounds like you want to marry my brother already", she teased,

"I wouldn't blame her to be quite honest, your brother sounds like quite the dreamer" Luna interrupted,

Ginny shot her daggers in an almost predatory way, marking Harry as hers alone. Rose merely interrupted the death gaze by butting in, "Oh, don't you start Luna, I've already got Ginny here pining over him every day and night",

"I do not pine for him!" Ginny snapped,

"Oh, don't worry Ginny, I was merely saying how artistically appealing he sounds, I wouldn't get in the way of your future husband" Luna replied in an airy singsong voice,

Ginny blushed the colour of her hair as she dug her face into her hands out of embarrassment, "Why are you both doing this to me. Ugh, I'm going to tell Harry about all this",

"Go ahead, I'm sure he'll find it all very amusing, it'll probably cause him to blush too" Rose replied with a chuckle,

"You're evil you know that Rose" Ginny told her,

"I think it sounds rather sweet that the two of you fancy each other" Luna suddenly added,

"Yeah Ginny, he's just as madly in love with you as you are with him" She told the red-head,

"I'm not in love with him!" Ginny hastily replied,

"It certainly sounds like you are Ginny" Luna told her,

The now beet red Weasley buried her head into her hands as the two girls giggled at her embarrassment. The topic of Harry was not brought up again, and the three girls continued to play well into the late afternoon. Eventually Luna's father called for her from the front door, and the three friends bade farewell to their blonde friend.

The duo made their way back to the Burrow, reaching it just before dusk turned to night, bidding their own farewells as Rose departed for the Evans house by floo. Ginny had a quiet Dinner with her mum and dad, discussing what had happened during the day, and what they played. After her nightly chores, the young Weasley retreated to her room where she pulled out a parchment of paper and ink and began to write her reply to the boy she fancied.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Thank you so much for your letter. I wasn't sure you wanted to write to me at all but I'm glad you have. But I seriously doubt you'll have time to write to me once you're headmaster for life, but I suppose if anyone could do it, it would be the boy-who-lived…Mr Potter._

 _Speaking of Potters, you need to write to her sister and scold her for being a bad friend. I won't inform you of what she did, but she'll know. I took her to visit the Lovegoods today, Luna and Xenophilius. They're a lovely family, but highly eccentric, believing in the oddest things. Luna seemed quite interested in you and your sister, maybe she's got a crush on you._

"Who could blame her" Ginny said to no one in particular,

 _Anyway, I'm glad you made the Quidditch team, at least my brothers got that right. You'll have to show off your seeker skills when you get home for Christmas. I'm not surprised that you're doing well in classes, you are an incredibly smart boy, almost too smart. I'm surprised they didn't put you in Ravenclaw._

 _Tell my brothers to write to me by the way, I haven't heard hide nor hair of them since they left on the 1st. I miss you terribly Harry, you're the only one who can control that wild sister of yours. Please come home soon so I don't have to lock her up at Azkaban (The wizard prison)._

 _Look after yourself Harry,_

 _I look forward to your next letter,_

 _Yours faithfully,_

 _Ginny Weasley_

Ginny rolled up her letter and went down to strap it to the family owls leg, Errol. Hopefully the old bird would make it in time for breakfast the next morning. Retreating back to her bedroom, the youngest Weasley laid on her head and shut her eyes, dreaming off a certain emerald eyed boy who she fancied…or maybe more she thought. It was strange loving a boy who she'd only met a few months ago. Perhaps it was fate, maybe they were soulmates for each other. Or maybe they just got along really well. She pushed the thought away anyway, there was no point thinking about it now on the verge of sleep. Shutting her eyes, the youngest Weasley let sleep overtake her as she drifted off to Neverland.

Over at the Evans house, Rose was just finishing her own letter to her brother,

 _Harry, my dearest brother,_

 _You owe me big time. Miss Ginny Weasley is completely head over heels with you, in fact if I wasn't mistaken, she has basically devoted her heart to you._

 _She took me over to meet her friend Luna today, odd little girl but very friendly. Seems to believe all sorts of odd things, like Nargles and Bunyips._

 _Anyway, I hope things are alright at Hogwarts, I had an odd dream last night about you getting attacked. I don't think it's too important but please do look after yourself Harry, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you._

 _Have fun anyway big brother, I miss you terribly,_

 _Love you with all my heart,_

 _Your precious little sister,_

 _Rose, aka the 'matchmaker'_

Rolling up her letter, she strapped it to Zeus and set him out into the night to deliver her letter to her brother. Cleaning herself up and changing for bed, the young Potter flopped onto bed, tucking into her brother's shirt that she kept in the bed every night. She smiled at the thought that Ginny might one day become family.


	8. Halloween

**Halloween, Quidditch, and the lead up to Christmas: Chapter 8**

For Harry, the next few weeks of school were much the same. Classes were getting progressively difficult; however, Harry was managing it with his holiday notes and careful study regimen. Harry now had Quidditch training to add onto his busy timetable. Training with the team turned out to be one of Harry's favourite activities. The twins especially made practice easy, with the two jokers taking the micky out of Wood's captainship. Soon the weeks turned to months, and the end of October was fast approaching. Hagrid had started to grow giant pumpkins for the Halloween Feast, and professor Flitwick charmed a number of bats to fly around the Great Hall. On Halloween day, Flitwick set about teaching the class the levitation charm, ' _Wingadium Leviosa'._ Harry and Hermione had no problems with the charm, levitating a feather within 10 minutes. Ron and Alec on the other hand were struggling, as were the rest of the class. Seamus managed to explode his feather…somehow.

"You need a bit more of a flick at the end of the wand movement Alec, just like this… _Wingardium Leviosa"_ Harry was explaining to Alec,

"Right…flick at the end…gotcha. Alright, here goes nothing… _Wingadium Leviosa!"_ Alec flicked the end of his wand and his assigned feather managed to rise a few feet in the air before softly landing back down.

"Brilliant Alec! Well done" Harry congratulated him,

On the other side of Harry, Hermione was trying to teach Ron how to perform the charm,

"You need to pronounce the spell a bit clearer, put a bit more emphasis on the _gar_ in Wingardium, got it?" Hermione instructed the redhead,

"Emphasis on the _gar_ , gotcha. _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Ron called out.

Gradually but surely the boys feather rose off the ground a few feet, before landing softly on the bench in front of him,

"Thanks Hermione! You're brilliant!" Ron praised her, making them both blush,

"It was nothing, really Ron. You almost had it, you just needed a little bit of help" Hermione reassured him,

"Oh! Well done you four! 10 points to each of you for achieving the charm, and another 10 for you Mr Potter and Miss Granger, for helping your friends!" Flitwick announced, observing their efforts.

The lesson was much more subdued from there on. The foursome practiced the charm multiple times, getting their feathers to rise higher and higher. Even Ron was getting a handle on it. Before long the lesson was called to a halt and the students were sent on their way. The foursome continued on through the day, working in transfiguration, DADA, potions and history of magic. Soon, it was time for the Halloween feast, and the group of first years made their way down to the Great Hall to stuff themselves full. Before they could make it to the Great Hall however, Malfoy and his pack of goons collided with the foursome, spoiling for a fight.

"Well well well, if it isn't the blood traitors" the Slytherin sneered,

"Oh, go shove it Malfoy, don't you have dark lord to worship" Alec retorted,

"You may laugh now Henderson, but just you wait till the next dark lord rises, then all you filthy blood traitors will regret it, and you especially Granger…you filthy mudblood!" the silver haired boy snapped,

Before anyone could say anything, both Ron and Alec lunged at the young Slytherin, trying to grab hold of anything they could. Harry had to hold on to dear life to stop them from beating the snot out of the horrible little cretin.

"You'll pay for that Malfoy!" Ron shouted in anger,

"How bloody dare you, you little shit!" Alec hurled at him,

Sensing the anger and danger in the air, the three Slytherins departed for the Great Hall, smirking at their successful mission of antagonizing the Gryffindor's.

"That little bloody prick, who does he think he is" Alec snarled, as Harry let go of him and Ron,

"I'm sorry, but what exactly did Malfoy call Hermione?" Harry asked,

"It's a horrible insult for someone whose Muggleborn, disgusting prejudice" Ron explained, fury in his eyes,

"Hey…speaking of Hermione, where is she?" Alec asked the two boys,

"Dunno, we should go find her" Harry suggested.

The three boys started to make their way away from the hall, until Professor Snape turned them around,

"And where…do you three think you're going?" Snape asked the boys,

"Sorry sir, but our friend Hermione ran off…Mal…a boy called her a horrible name" Harry explained,

"I'm sure there will be time to find her afterwards, the headmaster would like the opening ceremony to go ahead first" the potions master explained,

"But sir! She'll miss the feast" Ron pleaded,

"If she is not back by the time the food arrives, you three may go and find her, Mr Weasley. But not any sooner, do I make myself clear?" Snape told the boys,

"Yes sir" the three boys responded in unison,

Being dismissed from their mission to find their friend, the three boys made their way into the hall and sat down next to their friends at the Gryffindor table. They chatted amongst themselves as they waited for the food. Bats swarmed around the hall, swooping unsuspecting students and staff alike. As soon as Dumbledore had announced the feast to begin, food appeared in front of the hungry students, who diligently went about piling their plates sky high. However, before anyone could enjoy their meals, the DADA professor, Quirrell, came screaming into the hall, yelling about a troll in the castle,

"TROLLLLLL! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS! TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS!" the man yelled out, "Just thought you should know" and with that, Quirrell passed out in front of the staff table.

All hell broke loose as students started to scream out of fear. Dumbledore managed to secure silence after a few moments,

"SILENCE! Prefects, take your students back to their common rooms, staff, with me to the dungeons" the headmaster instructed.

The three Gryffindor boys started to follow Percy out of the hall and towards Gryffindor tower, when Harry suddenly remembered that Hermione was missing,

"Hang on guys, Hermione doesn't know about the troll!" Harry stated,

"Blimey! She could get squished" Ron added,

"We need to find her…now!" Harry instructed the two.

And so, slipping away from the group, the three boys made their way down the castle hallways in search of their friends. Around one corner however, they found themselves face to face with the giant mountain troll that had wondered into the castle. They braced themselves flush against the wall, peering around the corner as they watched him enter a girl's bathroom. Silently, the three boys made their way down the hall, passing the door to the lavatory. However, before they passed, they heard a blood curdling scream emit itself from the room.

"Shit! That sounds like Hermione!" Alec cursed

"We gotta save her" Ron told them,

Bursting into the bathroom, the boys found their friend huddled in the corner underneath a basin, avoiding the swings from the troll's club. The boys stepped into action immediately. Harry latched onto the trolls back, shoving his wand up the troll's nose, disorientating him, whilst Alec snuck under and grabbed Hermione from under the basin leading her towards the door.

"RON! LIFT HIS CLUB! LIFT HIS CLUB!" Harry yelled at his friend,

"What! How?", Ron shouted back,

"WITH THE LEVITATION SPELL!"

"Right! Gotcha! _Wingardum Leviosa!"_ Ron shouted, aiming the charm at the troll's club.

Mid-swing, the club slowly lifted itself into the air as the troll looked on curiously, before Ron cancelled the Charm, bringing the club straight down on the troll's head. Swaying from side to side, the troll fell with a mighty thud as Harry came tumbling forwards towards Ron. Landing at the boy's feet, his friends helped pick him up as he went to collect his wand from the troll's nose, laced with troll bogies. Just as the group of friends were congratulating themselves, a number of teachers, headed by Professor Dumbledore, barged straight into the bathroom,

"What is the meaning of this! Mr Potter, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Mr Henderson! I hope you have a very good explanation for your actions!" Professor McGonagall snapped at them,

"Professor, Hermione's been missing since the start of the feast after an…incident at the hall doors. Professor Snape gave us permission to seek her out once the food had arrived, but unfortunately Professor Quirrell came running in with news of the troll" Harry explained,

"Yeah, and we couldn't just leave our friend to get hurt, Hermione had no idea what was coming. We only just managed to get to her before the bloody thing took a swing at her" Ron added,

"It was bloody lucky that we managed to get her out, another few minutes, strewth maybe even seconds, and Hermione woulda been a gonna" Alec concluded,

"Severus, is this true?" Dumbledore asked the potion master,

"Indeed headmaster, I did allow the three boys to find their friend. However, I did not give them permission to run off after trolls" Snape glared at them,

"Be it as they may, the boys did save their friend, and did a valiant job of taking down the troll, wouldn't you agree headmaster?" Flitwick added,

"It would seem so Fillius, Minerva, they are of your house, it is your decision" Dumbledore stated,

"Boys, what you did was highly irresponsible…but incredibly brave. 10 points to each of you. Now, Miss Granger, why did you flee tonight?" The stern old witch asked,

"Draco Malfoy…he…he called me a M-Mudblood" Hermione stammered out,

A number of the teachers gasped at the revelation as McGonagall turned towards Snape, "Severus, you cannot allow this to go unpunished! That is blatant prejudice!",

"I will invest-igate…the young Malfoy boy, if indeed he did commit the crime, he will be punished" Snape reassured McGonagall,

"Well, if that is all sorted for tonight, I suggest you four go back up to your dorm and eat. I'm sure you're all very hungry" Dumbledore told the young students with a gleam in his eye,

"Thank you, professor, we will" Harry spoke up,

The teachers made their way out of the bathrooms, the students hot on their heels. As they got outside however, Harry made a beeline for Professor Snape.

"Professor? Could I have a moment please?" Harry asked his professor,

"What is it Potter?" Snape asked Quizzically,

"I'm sorry about breaking our promise tonight sir, but you must understand that we had to save her" Harry told him,

"Be that as it may Potter, you could have gotten yourself killed" the professor scolded,

"I know sir, and I'm terribly sorry, I will try and avoid any danger like that again" Harry said,

"Apology…accepted, Potter. Now, off to bed. I want you ready for potions tomorrow" Snape bade the young Potter farewell.

As Harry made his way back to Gryffindor tower, he started to think about why a troll was let in. It all had to do with what was underneath the trap door. Something valuable had to be hidden there. Obviously, Hagrid knew something about it, maybe he added protection to it. Then it struck him, who loves animals more than any other teacher or staff at Hogwarts…Hagrid! The three-headed dog must have belonged to Hagrid at some point. The only question now is what on earth was being guarded down there.

Reaching Gryffindor Tower, Harry enjoyed a very subdued Halloween dinner with his friends, and discussed what he had thought about on his way up,

"It makes sense if you think about it, Hagrid is nuts about animals, always goin' on about getting' a dragon" Ron told them,

"So, what do you reckon the dog's guardin' then? A weapon? A Relic? Gold?" Alec added,

"It wouldn't be a weapon, or gold. It's got to be a Relic. Hogwarts has plenty of them already, although none as valuable as to guard it" Hermione told them,

"I think we need to question Hagrid a bit more, how about we go down tomorrow at some point and question him" Harry suggested,

"Sounds good to me mate" Ron agreed,

"So, it's settled, get information from Hagrid, help protect the stone" Harry said to them,

"Woah woah woah, who said anything about protecting the bloody thing" Ron retorted,

"Come on Ron, where's that Gryffindor courage?" Alec teased,

"I think it disappeared when that troll took a swing at me" Ron told him,

The foursome continued to discuss ideas as to what might be worth guarding. Eventually they finished up their dinner and went up to bed for the night. Changing into his night clothes, Harry sat at the dorm desk and began to dictate a letter to his sister.

 _Dear Rose, my lovely sister,_

 _Happy Halloween, I hope you and the oldies did something fun tonight. I know I certainly did. That boy Malfoy I told you about, well he insulted Hermione with one of the worse words in the wizarding world. Made her run off to the bathrooms and all the poor thing. Anyway, Snape pilled us up into the Hall, said we could find her after the food appeared, but before we could old Quirrell came barging in saying there's a troll in the dungeons. So, we all panic and Dumbledore sent us off but Ron, Alec and I knew that Hermione was in danger, so we went to find her. Bish Bash Bosh we ended up knocking out a fulling grown mountain troll and earnt 30 points in the process. Oh, and Hermione's fine._

 _Anyway, how are things back at home, is my future wife missing me still? Tell her I said hello and that I'll write her another letter soon. Also lay off her, she told me that you're teasing her about her crush on me. I don't know what you said but she was mighty upset._

 _Anyway, I better wrap things up, big week ahead, first Quidditch game soon, I'll let you know how it all goes. Still need to find myself a broom, I'll probably use a school room, Oh well._

 _Anyway, take care dear sister,_

 _Love you with all my heart,_

 _Your big brother,_

 _Harry, aka Ginny Weasley's future husband_

And with that, Harry wrapped up his letter and strapped it to Hedwig's leg, sending her out into the night. Hopping into bed, the young Potter shut is eyes and let sleep take him over as he dreamt of the nights events and what could possibly await him in the future.

The next morning, Harry and his friends made their way down to Hagrid's hut early in the morning. They had decided the night before that they needed to question the half giant over his knowledge of what was hidden in the trap door. Making their way down the hill to Hagrid's, they spied the game keeper tending to his garden with Fang roaming around him,

"'Ullo you lot! What yeh doin' down 'ere this time of mornin'" He called out to the first years,

"Do we need an excuse to see our favourite member of staff" Harry grinned up at him,

Hagrid's face blushed with embarrassment, "Ah, shucks you lot, yeh mighty special you four",

"Thanks Hagrid! We know we are!" Ron joked,

Hagrid finished up tending to his garden and offered the foursome inside for a cup of tea, "you lot want a cuppa then?",

"We'd love to Hagrid", Hermione responded,

Leading the four first years in, Hagrid set about getting a pot of tea on the go. Setting the pot of tea and a plate of rock cakes on the table, the group of friends helped themselves to Hagrid's tea and cakes.

"So 'arry, you ready for Quidditch?" Hagrid asked him,

Harry took a bite out of his rock cake…or at least tried too…before responding to Hagrid, "Guess so, kinda nervous but I'm confident",

Alec gave his friend a friendly slap on the back, "Mate, you're gonna kill it on the pitch, no doubt about it"

"Yeah Harry, there's no way Slytherin stands a chance" Ron added,

Harry grunted in response to his friends as he took a sip of his tea,

"So, Hagrid, what do you think about the other night?" Hermione asked him,

"I think it was brave of yeh three boys to grab Hermione like tha', whoever was the fool to bring a blimey troll into the castle in the firs' place is ruddy well stupid" Hagrid told them,

"Do you think someone was trying to grab whatever's up on the third floor" Harry asked,

"Who knows! And besides, it's none of your business" Hagrid told them defensively,

"Yeah besides, how could they get past that massive dog" Ron added,

Hagrid looked taken aback by Ron's comment and took a big gulp of his tea, "How'd you lot know 'bout Fluffy?",

"So that's what it's called, funny name for a beast like that" Ron said,

"Nay fluffy's a lovely little thing, once you know 'ow to calm 'er, just need to sing 'er a song…I shouldna said tha'" Hagrid

"So, what's she guarding Hagrid" Alec asked,

Hagrid got up and started to clean up, "Tha's none of yeh concern, what's down there is between Professor Dumbledore and his friend Nicholas Flamel…I shouldna said tha'…" Hagrid rubbed his face with his giant hands before he started shoving the four students out of his hut, "Alright yeh lot I think it's time yeh be getting' back to the castle", and with that Hagrid shooed them back up to the castle.

For the next few days, Harry and his friends tried in vain to find any reference on who Nicholas Flamel was or how he was connected. For everyone else in the castle however, the events of Halloween were soon forgotten as Quidditch fever swept the castle. The first match of the year, Gryffindor VS Slytherin was due to take place in early November. Wood had increased Quidditch practice to four times a week, sometimes getting up as early as 5 AM for practice. Harry finally realised what the twins meant when they talked about Wood's Quidditch madness. He found himself flying in gale force winds and blinding rain for some of his practice matches, and it was expected that the game would have bad weather as well.

That's why, on the morning of the Quidditch match, Harry looked distraught about flying today. The tree tops were blowing almost sideways as the wind swept the grounds. Harry was still yet to buy his own broom, as such, he had to use one of the school brooms. Making his way down to the Great Hall, Harry sought out his friends, finding them all huddled around a rectangular package,

"Harry! Over here mate! You've got a package!" Ron called out to him,

Curiosity got the better of Harry as he ran to find out who'd sent him a package. Reaching his friends, he took the long, thin parcel in his hands and started to tear at the wrappings.

"Bloody hell mate!" Ron exclaimed,

Ron certainly summed it up well. Sitting in front of Harry was a brand-new broom. And not just any broom. A Nimbus 2000!

"Who sent this!?" Harry asked no one in particular,

His question was solved when Ron passed him a letter, "It came with this mate",

 _Mr Potter,_

 _Inside is your new Nimbus 2000,_

 _Use it well,_

 _Professor McGonagall,_

Harry couldn't believe his luck; his head of house had brought him one of the best brooms on the market. Harry picked it up in his hands and studied the beautiful piece of magical engineering, its smooth wood edges, the well-trimmed twigs on its back, the perfect weight and balance of the broom. It was a perfect broom. Harry looked around for his head of house but couldn't spot her anywhere, guessing she had staff duties to perform. Harry began to pile some food onto his plate, a sense of nervousness gone, replaced by the hope that came with the broom. As he dug into his breakfast, Wood and the rest of the team came sauntering over.

"Blimey Harry, where'd you get the broom!" George exclaimed,

"McGonagall sent it, pretty fantastic hey" Harry responded,

"With you on that thing, there's no way we can lose today" Katie Bell, one of the chasers added,

"We all need to do our best today, not just Harry, remember that folks" Wood told them all,

"yeah yeah Wood, just admit it, we've got this in the bag" Fred told their captain,

"Alright yes I suppose we do have a fairly good chance of winning, but don't go celebrating yet!" Wood warned them.

The team all sat down at their respective places and enjoyed their own breakfast, as Ron and the twins chatted to Harry. Eventually Alec and Hermione joined their friends at the table, discussing the latest event.

"Bloody hell mate, if that's not favouritism then I'm a donkey's arse" Alec exclaimed,

"Alec, that doesn't even make any sense, what _are_ you talking about" Hermione asked him,

"It's an Aussie thing, don't worry about it" Alec told her,

"You lot are bloody mental you know that" Ron added,

"Not as mental as those Slytherin mob, just look at them over there" Alec pointed over to the Slytherin table,

The Slytherins were preparing themselves in their typical fashion, by riling up their opposition, the Gryffindor's. Their rather rude hand gestures and snide remarks were doing nothing but getting the blood pumping in the veins of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Before long, Wood roused them from their meals and beckoned them on to the Quidditch pitch. Walking down as a team, Harry was surrounded by his friends who formed a sort of honour guard around the new broom which would hopefully win his team the game.

Splitting off at the changing rooms, Ron, Hermione and Alec all made their way to the stands to find a seat to see from, leaving Harry to get changed and ready for the game.

"Alright team, we've got one of the best teams we've ever had, there is no way we're losing today! Weasley's, keep the bludgers well away from us, and hit those bloody snakes. Katie, Angelina, Alicia, do your best out there to get us some goals. Harry, get us that snitch! That's your main priority, don't worry about anything else, just get that bloody snitch" Wood told them all as he wrapped up his speech,

"Well said Oliver!" George cheered,

"Hear hear!" Fred added,

"Alright you lot, get out there, let's go win us some Quidditch!" Wood exclaimed one last time.

Making their way onto the field, Harry looked around at the crowd. In the Gryffindor stands, his friends had erected a massive ' _Potter for prime minister'_ Banner, with a charmed Gryffindor lion and all. Feeling touched by his friend's confidence and support, Harry steeled himself for the coming match.

"Alright everyone, I want a nice, clean match. Understood?" Madam Hooch, the referee, told the two captains.

Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, was a slab of man meat, looking rather like the troll Harry and his friends faced down the other night. Wood and Flint both shook hands, both of them trying to break the others hand. Getting into position, Harry's heart started to race in thought of what was about to happen. Mounting his broom, Harry waited for the whistle to blow. Suddenly, Madam Hooch's whistle blew through the noise of the crowd, and 14 brooms were straight up into the air. Harry went straight to searching for the snitch, circling around the pitch and listening to Lee Jordan, a third year and George and Fred's friend, commentate the match.

"And they're off! The Gryffindor Slytherin match is a go!" He called out over the crowd,

"Spinnet takes the Quaffle and heads straight for the goals, passing it to Johnson, who's a lovely looking young witch by the way"

"Mr Jordan!" McGonagall interrupted,

"Sorry Professor, I was just saying…anyway, Johnson passes it to Bell, who goes in for the goals and SCORES FOR GRYFFINDOR, GRYFFINDOR LEADING BY 10!"

Harry pumped his fist in the air in celebration of the first goal before going straight back to seeking. It was at this time that Marcus Flint decided to ram himself into Harry in an effort to dislodge him from his broom. Harry hung on for dear life as he steadied himself and flew back into air,

"THAT DISGUSTING SCUMBAG WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS…!" Lee shouted out,

"MR JORDAN!"

"Sorry Professor, anyway the human troll…"

"Jordan…"

"The Slytherin Captain who happens to look troll like…"

"Mr Jordan! Last warning!",

"Fine…fine…the Slytherin captain barges into Potter and almost knocks him off and kills him, but I'm sure that could have happened to anyone. Anyway, Spinnet has taken the penalty for Gryffindor and scored another goal, 20/0 Gryffindor's way!"

Harry continued to scan the pitch, looking up and down for the snitch. In the time that he was searching, Gryffindor had scored another 3 goals, whilst Slytherin caught up with 4 of their own.

"It's currently 50/40 Gryffindor's way, Slytherin is sneaking up fast" Lee commentated,

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Harry's broom begun to rock back and forth and side to side, completely out of control. Harry tried to bring it back under control but failed completely, slipping off his broom at one stage and trying desperately to get back up.

"What on earth is going on with Potter, he better get his act together soon before the Slytherins catch the snitch" Lee called out,

Meanwhile in the stand, Harry's friends were frantically panicking over his broom. Hagrid, who had joined them a while back, had commentated that it looked as though Harry's broom had been jinxed.

"Blimey! 'arry's broom's been jinxed it 'as", the half giant panicked,

"Oh no! what can we do!" Hermione called out,

"Try and search for whoever's casting it!" Alec suggested,

Picking up her binoculars, Hermione started to scan the crowd, stopping when she saw Professor Snape muttering whilst keeping eye contact.

"It's Snape! Here take a look", Hermione said, passing her binoculars to Ron,

"The sneaky little prick! He's tryin' to kill Harry!" Ron exclaimed,

"Here, give us a look then" Alec asked, receiving the binoculars from Ron,

"Hang on a moment, So's Quirrell, they're both doing the same thing, so obviously one of them is jinxing and the other counter jinxing!" Alec explained,

"Bloody hell, which one is it!" Ron added,

"It doesn't matter! We need to distract them, I'll be back!" Hermione called over her shoulder,

She rushed off out of the stands and straight for the staff seating, making her way through the stadium innards, eventually making her way to the structure below the staff seats. Conjuring a small blue flame, Hermione set it down on Quirrell's robes, making sure to get away as quickly as possible. Soon after her departure, cries came out over the staff seating as professors rushed to put out their colleague's predicament.

Meanwhile up in the air, whilst Harry was struggling with his broom, Slytherin were now up another 30 points, 50/70 Slytherin's way. Harry felt his broom come back into his control, and soon after he mounted it once more to speed away looking for the snitch. He didn't have to wait long, as a small golden orb flew straight past his head and towards the Slytherin goals. Flying straight towards it, Harry made a beeline for it. Unfortunately for Harry, the Slytherin seeker had also caught on to the snitch and was hightailing towards it…and Harry. The two seekers battled it off in mid-air as both players knocked back and forth into each other. Soon however, Harry's superior broom payed off as he skimmed across the ground, standing up on his broom in order to catch the snitch. Reaching for it, Harry almost managed to wrap his fingers tightly around it, before he crashed straight into the ground.

The crowd grimaced and cheered at the boys landing. However, as Harry stat up from his crash landing, he took on the face of someone who was about to be sick. Cupping his hands in front of his mouth, Harry let out an almighty gag, spitting the golden snitch out of his mouth and onto his hands,

"AND HARRY POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WINS 200/70!" Lee celebrated,

Within moments, the Gryffindor Quidditch team swarmed on Harry, picking him up and carrying him on their shoulders, chanting Harry's name as they made their way through the crowd of well-wishers and celebrates who wished to congratulate the young seeker. Eventually they made their way to Gryffindor Tower, where a full flung celebration was already on the way. One of the fifth years had managed to procure butterbeer from Hogsmeade, the village near Hogwarts. Harry had never tasted anything better when the cool taste of the drink touched his lips, being passed one from a celebrant.

"THREE CHEERS FOR POTTER!" Someone called out,

"HIP HIP, HOORAY, HIP HIP, HOORAY! HIP HIP, HOORAY!" The crowd cheered on,

"HERE'S TO POTTER, YOUNGEST SEEKER IN A CENTURY!" Someone else called out,

"TO POTTER!" The crowd replied.

Harry turned a nice shade of pink as his embarrassment set in. The twins let him down from their shoulders and he sought out his friends from the crowd. Finding them off in a corner of the room, Harry sat down with his friends to discuss the game.

"Far out Harry, that was a brilliant catch mate" Alec congratulated him,

"Blimey Harry, we thought you were done for when your broom got jinxed!" Ron told him,

"My broom? Jinxed? What happened?" Harry asked them,

"Someone was jinxing your broom Harry, we don't know if it was Quirrell or…Snape" Hermione informed him,

"Snape! Why would Snape want to jinx my broom?" Harry replied,

"We don't know Harry, but it could be either of them, we don't know yet" Hermione continued,

"I seriously doubt it was Snape, I mean, he hasn't shown me any kind of hatred since that first potions lesson" Harry defended him,

"I have to agree with Harry there, the old grease-ball treats Harry like an actual human" Alec added,

"You've got a point" Ron agreed,

"But the question is then, why would Quirrell want to hurt Harry?" Hermione asked,

"Maybe he thinks Harry's gonna take his job, you know how good Harry is in defence" Ron contributed,

"Maybe, or maybe he's after whatever that dog is guarding" Alec suggested,

"Poor stuttering Quirrell, maybe…we can always keep an eye on him" Harry said,

"So, we'll watch Quirrell then, and I suggest we find out what exactly is hidden under that trapdoor" Hermione told them,

The four friends nodded in agreement as they went back to the party to enjoy themselves. Harry slept well that night, knowing that he did a fantastic job in his game today. He'd sent a letter to Rose and Ginny about the day's events, including the part about his broom getting jinxed. He hoped he didn't worry the girls to much, fearing that his sister might just get a tad over protective.

Drifting off to sleep, Harry couldn't help but wonder who was behind the jinxing, whether it had been Quirrell or maybe really Snape. Harry hoped it wasn't Snape, he was a good teacher…to him at least. Harry couldn't help but wonder however, if the old potions master did have it in for him. He pushed those thoughts aside and thought about the match instead, reliving the experience of catching his very first, of many, snitches.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

The next few weeks at Ottery St Catchpole was quiet and subdued for Rose. She received her brothers letters every day and replied to them all. Her heart had sunk when she heard that Harry's broom was jinxed and was almost hurt. But it got her thinking about the dream she had on her birthday, whether it really was Quirrell who had been out to hurt her brother. She made a mental note to ask Harry about it.

Today Rose, Ginny, Molly and Juni were heading into Diagon Alley to get presents for their friends and family. Rose and Juni had flooed over to the Burrow where Ginny and Molly greeted them both.

"Ready to go shopping Rose!" Ginny greeted her friend with a hug,

"All set, know what you're getting that brother of mine?" Rose wiggled her eyes at her friend,

"Uh…not really…. I was thinking you could give me a hand" Ginny asked her friend,

"Of course, I'll help you, my brother is notoriously hard to shop for" Rose reassured her friend.

Throwing powder into the fireplace, the two friends lined up to go off to the wizarding mall, their parent and grandmother close behind. They went their separate ways after Molly gave Ginny some money to buy gifts with. They stopped in at Madam Malkin's to grab Molly a new hat from Rose, and a pair of slippers from Ginny. Rose suggested that they get something Muggle for Arthur, knowing full well he loved his muggle technology. As such, they decided to hold off getting a present for him until they went into the village back home. Next, they grabbed things for Ginny's brothers, grabbing a stack of chocolate frogs and a book on the Chudley Cannons for Ron. Joke items and a new potion making set for the twins. A Diary and new quill case for Percy, a set of new dragonhide gloves and a burn resistant watch for Charlie, and lastly a book on curse breaking and a wand holster for Bill. Next, they went off to grab things for Rose's family. They grabbed a book on magical sports for Alex and a set of ruby studded earrings for Juni, both from Rose. Ginny felt a little uncomfortable buying for muggles, so Rose suggested that she grab some things for them in town instead.

All that was left was Harry's now. Rose had decided the grab him a broom maintenance kit, and a book on curses and counter curses, since Quirrell was apparently a shocking teacher. Ginny on the other hand had no idea what to get Harry. His birthday present set the standard and didn't want to disappoint.

"Well, how about you get him another book about defence, or maybe transfiguration?" Rose suggested,

"But he's probably going to get lots of books already" Ginny countered,

"Alright, well why don't we have a look through the alley and find something he'll like."

The two friends agreed and went off down the mall to find a present for Harry. They stopped in and out of certain shops, including the model shop that Ginny had gotten his birthday present from. Ginny briefly thought about going and getting Harry another model, but thought better of it. Eventually they arrived outside of a magical photography shop, which could turn muggle photos into wizard photos and vice versa, along with develop magical photos. Stepping inside with Rose, they automatically were drawn to a beautiful leather-bound photo-album that stood proudly on the counter. Bordered with a gold, the album had room for hundreds of photos, muggle and magical alike. Ginny new instantly that she wanted to get it for Harry, however she knew she couldn't just give it to him bare.

"Um excuse me. How much is the photo album there?" Ginny asked the old witch behind the counter,

"10 Galleons dear" She replied,

Counting the money she had left, she laid 10 Galleons onto the counter to purchase it,

"I'll take it please, and how much is it to develop and charm the photographs?" Ginny added,

"3 knuts per photo dear, and it only take half an hour to do about 50" The Shoppe keep told her,

Nodding her head in understanding, Ginny made her purchase and walked back out with Rose,

"I could go grab some photos from your Gram and from mum, they've been snapping photos ever since you two got here" Ginny told her friend,

"Sounds like a great idea, Harry doesn't have his own album, only mum and dads",

"Shall we go find Mum and your Gram then?"

"Not yet, I want to grab one last thing before we head off",

Making their way back down the alley, they stopped in front of an old jewellers, whose windows were full of exotic looking rings and pendants of different designs and colours. Walking in, the two girls were greeted by an older gentleman in a muggle suit.

"Good morning girls, how may I help you?" The man asked,

"Hello, I'm looking for pendant necklace for my brother, something preferably with emerald" Rose told him,

"I see, and what is your relationship like with your brother?" the jeweller asked,

"He saved my life when we were little, I have a very strong relationship with my brother, he means the world to me" Rose told him,

"How very noble, I can suggest a pendant for you, it's called a lionheart. Here let me show you",

The jeweller made his way around the counter and towards the necklace and pendant section. Opening up the display, he pulled out two pendants, one silver one gold. The pendants themselves were excellently crafted, a lion made up most of the design, however a heart shaped hole sat in the middle of the lion, where its heart would sit.

"It's a very Gryffindor symbol…is your brother in Gryffindor?" the jeweller asked,

"Yes, he's a first year there, it's my turn next year" Rose replied,

"Very good! Anyway, the pendant is 40 galleons, and if you want an emerald that will be an extra 50, with it personally cut by myself. The pendant itself will be charmed with rust resisting, dirt resisting and anti-theft charms, all very useful and included in the full price." The jeweller told her,

"Brilliant, I'll pay the lot today thanks" Rose said, as she plunked a bag of galleons onto the counter,

"Oh ho! Very good miss, I'll go cut that for you right now, won't be a tick" and with that the old jeweller disappeared out back to sort out the pendant.

Meanwhile, Ginny and Rose had a look around at the various pieces of jewellery that inhabited the store,

"See anything you like Ginny?" Rose asked her,

"I like these rings, they're quite nice" Ginny told her as Rose came over to take a look,

"Ah Ginny, those are wedding bands" her friend told her,

"Oh…um…right…"

"Are you getting idea's Miss Weasley, or should I say Mrs Potter"

"Oh, shush you, just because you're dying for a sister doesn't mean you can force me to marry that lovely brother of yours",

"Oh, but I don't have to force you to do anything, mark my words, in less than 10 years from now my brother will propose to you",

"Oh yeah, wanna make a bet",

"Damn right I do",

"You're on Potter, what's the bet"

Rose pulled out a galleon from her purse and held it in her fingers,

"Five galleons to whoever is right. If he proposes in less than 10 years, I win, if it's more, you win." Rose told her friend,

"Deal! Wait…are you already suggesting he's going to want to marry me!" Ginny flustered,

"Ginny my dear, whether you like it or not, you're both head over heels for each other, one day you'll both be brave enough and old enough to make that decision to actually snog and fall in love" Rose told her friend,

Ginny blushed deep red, and was about to retort when the jeweller came back with the finished product,

"There you go miss, all done and finished" he told her, passing the pendant to her,

"Brilliant, It's simply brilliant. I'll make sure to come back for all my jewellery needs" Rose told him with a smile,

"Why thank you miss, would you like it gift wrapped?" he asked,

"No no, that's okay, I've got special paper at home for him. Thanks a lot for everything today" Rose thanked the jeweller,

"You're quite welcome miss, I look forward to next time" the jeweller farewelled the two as they made their way out of the shop.

Rose and Ginny found their respective Mother and Grandmother, deciding that they had all done enough shopping for today. Both of the older matriarchs refused to tell them what they bought, stating that the two younger girls had to wait and see. Flooing back home, the two girls enjoyed a lovely lunch prepared by Molly before Rose and Juni made their way back home.

The next few days were busy with preparations for Christmas. On the Friday, the 20th of December, Harry and the other boys would be coming home for Christmas Holidays. Rose and her grandmother would go off with the two Weasley girls to fetch the boys early in the morning. Thus, when Rose woke up on the 20th, her heart raced with excitement at seeing her brother again.

They had been away from each other for almost over three months, the longest they had ever been away from each other. More importantly though, this would be the first proper Christmas they would have, as all the other Christmases were nothing more than them preparing the Christmas meals throughout the day and sitting and watching as the rest of the Dursleys opened their presents. This year however, the two Potters were with people who loved them, and would spoil them rotten for lack of a better term.

Jumping out of bed to get ready, Rose bounded into the bathroom to have a quick shower before she went downstairs to have a quick breakfast with her family,

"Morning Grandma, Grandpa" Rose greeted as she sat down.

"Good morning sweetheart, ready to get your brother" Juni greeted,

"All set Gran, I'm so excited to see him again! I've missed him so much" Rose exclaimed,

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you too darling" Alex told her, ruffling her hair,

Rose set her hair straight again and smiled at her Grandfather as she lightly smacked his arm before digging into her own food.

Before long, Juni, Alex and Rose made their way outside into the old family Impala, ready to go grab Harry and the other Weasley boys, accompanied by Molly and Ginny. Once again, Arthur was at work and couldn't come grab the boys with her. Arriving at the burrow at roughly 9 o'clock, the Evans and one Potter were greeted by the two Weasley girls as they made their way outside to hop into Arthurs old Ford Anglia.

"Ready then Juni?" Molly called out to her friend,

"All set Molly! I'll see you in London!" Juni called out as she hopped into her car.

The two cars set off across the country, arriving at about midday. The train wouldn't arrive for another half hour, so the two families sat and enjoyed a nice cup of tea and coffee at a station café before finally making their way to platform 9 ¾ to pick up the boys. Rose bounced up and down on her feet as she stood on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive. She didn't have to wait long, before the beautiful scarlet Hogwarts Express chuffed into the station. Moments later, students began to swarm out of the train, although not as many that were here on the first day of term.

Rose and Ginny looked for their brothers in the crowd, before spotting a cluster of four redheads and one jet-black mop in the crowd. Rose dashed forwards, pushing parents and students alike aside as she ran for her brother. Spotting Rose, Harry put down his trunk and rushed forward to greet his sister, bounding into each-other's arms. Harry spun Rose around and around as the two embraced and giggled at each other,

"It's good to see you little sis" Harry told her as he laid his forehead against hers,

"I'm so glad you're home, I've missed you so much!" Rose cried out as tears began to stream down her face.

"Missed me that much hey, don't worry, I missed you too" Harry told her as he laid a kiss on her forehead,

"Come on, let's go find the others" Harry said as he put an arm around his sister,

Juni, Alex and the Weasleys were standing off to the side, waiting for the two Potters to finish their embrace. Harry's grandparents beamed at him as he strode forward with his luggage, putting it down to greet both his Grandparents,

"Hey Grandma, Grandpa, it's good to see you both, did you miss me?" Harry joked as he finished his embrace with both of them,

"I think little Rose has missed you most, but yes your grandmother and I did miss you. I've missed having a football partner, Rose is bit uncoordinated, aren't you love" Alex joked as he messed up Rose's hair

"Alex! That's your granddaughter you're talking about" Juni scathed,

"Only joking dear" Alex reassured her, winking at Rose and Harry, the former glaring at her grandfather with mock anger.

"Oh, Harry dear, it's so good to have you home. You and your sister are going to have such a good Christmas!" Juni told her grandson, wrapping her arms around him,

"It's good to be back don't worry Gran, and I can hardly wait" Harry told her, returning the embrace,

By this point, Hermione and Alec had made their way across to the Evans and Weasleys,

"Oh, Grandma, Grandpa, Rose, I'd like you to meet Ron and I's friends. This is Alec Henderson, and this is Hermione Granger" Harry told them, pointing to his friends respectively,

"Pleased to meet you both, Harry's told us a lot about you both" Juni greeted,

"It's nice to meet you Mrs Evans, Harry's told us a lot about you as well" Hermione greeted back, shaking the older lady's hand,

"G'day Mrs Evans, Mr Evans, nice to meet you both" Alec greeted as well,

"Oh, this is my mum and dad" Hermione pointed behind her to the two very plain looking adults behind her,

"Jean Granger, pleased to meet you" Hermione's mother greeted,

"Richard Granger, pleasure to meet you all" Hermione's father waved,

"Lovely to meet you both, would you care to join us for Christmas at all? You're more than welcome" Molly told them,

"We'd love to, I know Hermione would love to see her friends during Christmas holidays" Richard told them,

"Excellent, well we'll send an owl to you tomorrow to arrange the details" Molly told them both,

Nodding their heads in understanding, all eyes turned to the well-groomed brown-haired, brown eyed man that stood behind Alec,

"Oh my, Minister! We didn't see you standing there!" Molly exclaimed with a hand on her heart,

"Don't worry about it, I'm not the minister today, I'm just a father picking up his son. Lennox Henderson, at your service." Alec's father stuck his hand out to greet the parents and grandparents.

"Alec's told me a lot about you three, it's a pleasure to meet you Hermione, Ron." Lennox told them, before eyeing Rose and Harry.

"Harry Potter, and Rose Potter. I remember when your father finally sealed the deal with your mother and got married. But that was a lifetime ago " Lennox told them, making his way to be in front of them,

"You…you knew our parents!" Harry exclaimed,

"I did indeed, I was a year above your parents and their friends. Your father and his friends were quite well known, even to the older years" Lennox told them, a laughing glint in his eye.

"That's…fantastic! Please…you must come for Christmas!" Rose told him, bouncing up and down on her feet.

"I'd be honoured, and I'm sure Alec will want to see his friends as well", Lennox said looking over at his son,

"Damn right, might go insane if it's just me and this old lug for Christmas again" Alec exclaimed,

"Oh, Son, you wound me!" Lennox joked,

The two Potters chuckled at the obvious love between the father and son. Harry looked around the crowd when he spotted a certain redhead he was on the lookout for. Standing next to her mother was Ginny Weasley, slightly red in her cheeks, turning even deeper when their eyes connected. The fluttering in Harrys heart returned when he made eye contact with the youngest Weasley. Making his way over to her to greet her, Harry took a deep breath as he approached her.

"Hey Ginny, glad to have you brothers' home?" He asked her, his hands flexing in trepidation.

"Oh…yeah…sure" Ginny told him, finding the floor very interesting at this time,

"Hey listen, I appreciated those letters you sent me over the school term, they were nice to read" Harry told her with a smile, his stomach unravelling itself slightly.

Ginny looked up to smile at Harry as their eyes locked again, "You're welcome Harry…I liked getting letters from you as well. Especially since I don't get any from my brothers!" She said the last part loud enough for her brothers to hear,

"Hey? What did we do now?" Ron asked.

"You lot never write home, I've gotten more letters from Harry then all of you combined" Ginny scolded them,

"Oh, come on little Ginnikins" George started,

"Yeah little Gin-Gin, give us a break, we were busy" Fred added,

"And besides, I think you'd prefer letters from Harry then any of us" George finished,

"That's not the point!" Ginny blushed furiously, glaring at the twins for using the pets names she hated.

Ron gave Harry a questioning eye, causing Harry to blush before he shrugged. Harry, deciding to take the heat off Ginny, wrapped an arm around Ginny, causing the girl to stiffen in embarrassment.  
"Nwah, Gin, you saying you don't want my letters?" Harry asked her in a playful voice.

The three Weasley boys froze as they eyed Harry with worry. Nobody called Ginny, Gin, unless they had a death wish. However, Ginny merely shrugged and relaxed at his touch,

"You _know_ I prefer your letters, Mr Potter" she smirked at him, causing him to blush and surprising herself at her boldness. "Your life is so much more exciting than any of my brothers".

"Hey! I'm with Harry for almost everything, so my life is just as exciting!" Ron argued,

"And we're the practical jokers" the twins said in unison,

Ginny just rolled her eyes at her brother's arguments, knowing full well that her brothers knew the real reason why she liked Harry's letters more. Eventually everyone wrapped up their conversations and made their way back to their cars. The four families bade everyone farewell, Ginny and Harry exchanged blushing eye connections as they separated and got into their respective cars. Rose soon joined him in the back, cuddling up to him as she shut her eyes, her head on his shoulder.

"So, I noticed you and Ginny seem much more comfortable around each other. Did my little suggestion help?" Rose asked her brother,

"You mean writing letters? Yeah, I think so" Harry told her,

"Well I'm glad, have you gotten her a present yet by the way?" Rose asked,

"No not yet, I was thinking I might pop into Diagon Alley with you to get presents" Harry said,

"Sounds like a plan, maybe we can do that tomorrow, I think most of the shops will be open" Rose said,

"I think so, otherwise we can always go Monday, although it'll probably be hectic" Harry added,

"True that. Hey, who was that brunette friend of yours by the way" Rose asked,

"Hermione? You know who she is, I've written to you about her before" Harry said,

"No not Hermione, Alec, your other friend",

"Oh, Alec, what about him?"

"He's rather cute don't you think", Rose blushed,

"Is my little sister getting a crush on my mate?" Harry teased,

"Well that would make both of us since you're head over heels with Ginny" Rose teased back,

"True that. Alec's a good bloke, definitely a Gryffindor. Can't believe that our fathers knew each other though" Harry told her,

"I know right! Maybe we can get some stories from him, and some names from that photo album of mums" Rose added,

Harry grunted in affirmative as he too closed his eyes. Before long, the two siblings let sleep overtake them as their grandparents drove through the country, all the way back to Ottery St Catchpole…home.


	9. Christmas & Sirius

**Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, revelations, a Christmas to remember: Chapter 9**

Harry awoke early Saturday morning to the sound of his sister sleeping soundly next to him. He studied her sleeping form, happy to be home, where he was loved and adored. Not that Hogwarts wasn't home away from home, but wherever Rose was, was where Harry was the Happiest. He studied her in detail, noticing that she had grown whilst he was away, still not as tall as himself but getting there.

Nudging her lightly, Harry tried…and failed…to wake his sister. She never was a morning person, and the only response he got from her was, "Ughhhh go back to sleep 'arry",

Harry chuckled at his sister as he hopped out of bed to go and get ready for the morning. Having a shower and getting dressed, Rose was awake and up by the time he came back in to their room.

"Why did you have to wake me up, you are such a prick" Rose scolded him,

"Good morning to you my lovely sister" Harry smirked,

"Don't give me that lovely sister crap you suck up"

"Oh Rose! You cut me deep!"

"Not nearly as much as I will if you keep on your current course" she warned,

"Alright, alright, I'll leave you be, I'll see you downstairs Rose" Harry chuckled,

"Yeah, yeah, prick" Rose muttered, happy that she could scold her brother now that he was home.

Making his way downstairs, Harry was greeted by his grandparents as they sat around the table enjoying their breakfast,

"Morning dear, did you sleep well?" Juni asked him,

Harry chuckled as he piled his plate full of food, "About as well as I can when I've got a clingy little sister snuggling into me all night."

"She was missed you something shocking," Alex reminded him.

"Didn't seem like it this morning that's for sure," Harry joked.

Alex chuckled at his grandson, "Speaking of which, we might have to sort out moving you two into your own rooms",

"Yeah, that'd be good, I'm sure Rose would like her own bed…maybe" Harry said,

"In your dreams Harry, you're stuck with me" Rose called out as she walked into the kitchen,

Harry rolled his eyes at this sister, "Welcome to the land of the living dear sister, not going threaten me with death?" he joked,

Rose merely slapped her brother on the shoulder as she took a seat next to him, "No, but I will if you don't stop snoring at night",

"See, why don't you just move into another room" Harry countered,

Rose took a sip of her tea before responding, "Because we've slept in the same bed for 10 years, it'd be weird sleeping alone…it has been weird sleeping alone!"

"Rose, sooner or later you'll have to put up with sleeping alone, just take one of my shirts",

Rose stared down at her feet, "I have been sleeping with one of your shirts",

"Nawh, little sis, I'm touched" Harry joked,

Rose rolled her eyes and slapped her brothers' arm, "That's what you get for saving my life you big boof",

The rest of breakfast was rather subdued as the family chatted about Harry's experiences at Hogwarts, worrying his grandparents when he told them about his broom getting jinxed.

"I don't like that at all, did you tell Dumbledore?" Juni asked her grandson,

Harry nodded his head, "Yeah I did, but he said no one could prove anything, he just told me to keep an eye on things",

His grandparents nodded in understanding, before going back to their breakfast. Before long, everyone was done and went their separate ways for the day. Harry and Rose decided to Floo into Diagon Alley so Harry could buy some presents. They stopped off at the Quidditch store to pick up a pair of dragonhide keeper gloves for Ron, who was beginning to enjoy the position. For the twins, Harry picked up a practical joke book series, totalling four books. For Percy, he grabbed a new eagle quill, for Charlie, a book on rare and endangered magical species and dragons, and lastly for Bill, he grabbed him a book on old Celtic curses.

Now came the hard part, buying for Rose and Ginny. Rose had told Harry about the jewellery shop she went in the other day, avoiding the topic of what she bought in there. As such, Harry entered the store with Rose close behind,

The old Shoppe keep came walking in from the back, widening his eyes when he saw who was at his counter, "Mr Potter! What an honour it is to meet you!",

"Ah…yeah…you're welcome? I was looking to buy some jewellery today, my sister recommended the place" Harry said, pointing to Rose,

The Shoppe keep took a look at Rose, before he realised he'd served her before, "Oh my, Miss Potter! I didn't realise who you were when you came in! Now your purchase makes sense".

"Indeed, but I'd appreciate you not telling my lovely brother here what I bought. I'll just be outside okay Harry?" Rose told him,

Harry nodded his affirmative as he went back to browsing, "All good, don't go wandering too far" he told her,

Turning his attention back to the jeweller, Harry began to browse the ring section, "I'm looking for a promise ring, I was wondering if you could charm it to say something when it is kissed?"

"Certainly, we can do that, what design would you like it in? and would you like a stone?" The jeweller asked,

Harry nodded his head in affirmative, "I was thinking a Claddagh style ring, and could the stones be ruby?",

"Of course, sir, I can have it ready for you in half an hour if you'd like. Would you still like the charm?" the jeweller said,

"Yes please, could you have it say ' _forever or never',_ and once again only to show up if it's kissed" Harry instructed,

The jeweller nodded his head in understanding and went about to his task, "Is there anything else you'd like whilst here Mr Potter?"

"Yes actually, I'd like to grab those diamond studded earrings there and lastly, I'd like to grab another Claddagh ring, this time could the stones be both ruby and emerald?" Harry asked,

The jeweller went about collecting the pieces Harry pointed out, "Yes, of course Mr Potter, would you like the other ring charmed as well?"

"Yes please, is it possible for it to say ' _your protector always'_ when the wearer gets scared or upset?" Harry asked,

"Why of course Mr Potter. Now, would you like to pay for all this now?" the jewellery asked,

Harry placed a fat bag of galleons on the counter, "Yes thanks, that'll be much appreciated, and if you could keep them wrapped in a bag when you bring it all out, I'm going to be bringing my sister back in"

The jeweller nodded his approval as he went into the back of the shop to begin work. Harry stuck his head outside and spied Rose eyeing a pair of earrings in the shop window,

"See anything you like?" He asked with a grin,

Rose rolled her eyes at her brother as she followed him into the store, "Knowing you, I won't have to worry about jewellery for the rest of my life".

Harry wrapped an arm around his sister and kissed her head softly, "damn straight, I'm going to spoil you for the rest of your life",

Rose snuggled her head into Harry's shoulder, enjoying his company, "I'm glad I'll be going off with you next year, I couldn't bear to be away from you for another year"

Harry chuckled at his sister, "You'll get sick of me when you're older, and when you start dating Alec"

Rose smacked his arm as she turned red, "Low blow bro",

"Oh, come on, you get to tease me about Ginny" Harry retorted,

Rose rolled her eyes up at Harry, "Yes but you're my big brother, I'm allowed too",

"And just because you're younger, means I can't tease?" Harry enquired,

"Of course, didn't you know that?" Rose responded seriously,

Harry snorted at his sister's antics, "Obviously not, now shush you, let's look around",

For the next half hour, Harry and Rose browsed through the various pieces of jewellery, magical and muggle, that the store offered. Eventually, the old jeweller came back with Harry's purchases, and bid them good day as they left the store. Rose bothered Harry all the way home, asking him what he bought,

"Rose, it won't be a surprise if I tell you, now would it?" Harry told her,

Rose whined as she tugged on her brother's arm, "Haarrryyyy, just tell me!"

Harry continued in silence, ignoring his sister all the way up to the public floo grates. The rest of the day was spent in the muggle village, as Harry and Rose met up with Ron and Ginny at the edge of town to go shopping for the last people on their list,

"Heya mate, how'd your Christmas shopping go?", Ron asked his best mate

Harry blushed slightly, he wasn't about to tell his best mate that he brought a rather expensive promise ring for his sister, "Yeah, it went fine. Got everything out the way and done now. Rose has been pestering me about what I got her",

"I know how you feel, I hate Christmas shopping. Buying for younger sisters has to be harder then potions class" Ron groaned, "But I reckon she'll like what I got her".

Ginny and Rose stamped their feet in annoyance to their two older brothers, "Would you two quit teasing us!" Rose scolded,

"Yeah! It's bad enough the adults are holding out on us, now you two as well!" Ginny added,

Harry and Ron chuckled to themselves as they each put an arm around their sisters, "Come on you lot, let's go buy some muggle junk", Harry told them,

The foursome made their way into the town, stopping along the way to look at the various shops on the outskirts. Making their way into the town centre, they made their way from shop to shop, looking at what to buy. For Arthur, the foursome grabbed him a muggle adventure book, a model train, a pair of cheap binoculars and a set of bright coloured ties. For Juni and Alex, Ron and Ginny grabbed a pair of opal studded earrings, a new muggle cooking book, a guide to football strategies and a history of football in Britain.

Finishing up their shopping, the foursome made their way to the local café to enjoy some lunch, "Far out, who knew buying for muggles would be so difficult" Ron exclaimed,

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother as she took a seat next to Harry, "Really Ron, it wasn't that hard, besides, it's well worth it",

Harry gave them both a smile as he spoke, "You know, you didn't have to get our grandparents anything",

"Yeah, they would have been fine with not getting anything from you lot" Rose added,

Ginny gave her best friend and her crush a grin, "Yeah, but you know us Weasley's blood traitors and all, we just love muggles",

"Speak for yourself, that family of yours you stayed with before coming here were right old wankers" Ron interrupted,

Ginny slapped her brothers' arm, "RON! That's their family you're talking about!",

"Nah he's right Gin, the Dursleys were pricks" Harry added,

Ginny blushed at hearing her nickname before looking him in the eye, "Still, only you can call them that",

Harry smiled at the girl before drawing his attention back to Rose, you had a smirk planted on her face, "So, should we get the Dursley's anything for Christmas?"

"The Dursleys? Pfff, don't be funny" Rose snorted,

"Whose being funny?" Came a voice from nearby,

Turning around, the group found the twins walking into the café, striding towards them, "Hey you two, get your shopping done?" Rose asked them as they sat down at their table,

George let out an exasperated sigh as he turned to Rose, "Yeah for the most part, got your gramps a foot thingy ball",

"Football George, bloody hell it's hard buying for muggles" Fred added,

"That's what I said!" Ron said,

Ginny gave her brothers a scathing look, about to argue when Harry leant forward and placed his hand on hers, causing her to blush, "Anyway, we were just finishing up when we saw you lot in here" George started,

"So, we thought we'd pay you a visit" Fred continued,

"And grab a bite to eat at the same time" George finished,

The group enjoyed themselves with their new company, talking about the practical jokes that the twins had performed during the school term. Ron eyed his best friend and sister a little strangely from time to time as the twins talked.

"Well we did transfigure his quill into a lizard" George was explaining,

"Oh, that's right we did too. Now I understand why he wouldn't talk to us" Fred added,

The foursome let out a laugh at hearing the twin's antics, "I'm surprised you lot haven't been expelled yet" Rose told them,

George and Fred shrugged as they answered her, "Nah, old Dumbles loves us" George said,

"Yeah, pretty sure he was a joker back in his day" Fred added,

Eventually the group finished off their lunch and headed back to the Burrow. Harry and Rose hopped over to the Evan's to drop off their presents, before heading back to the Weasley's for a game of Quidditch.

"Come on Harry! I wanna see those seeker skills in action!" Ginny called out to him as she took off into the sky,

Harry helped Rose onto his own broom, his sister still refusing to fly alone, "Sure thing Gin, but I think I might be just a little handicapped",

"HEY! I'm right here you know!" Rose scolded him,

He chuckled as he ruffled his sister's hair, shooting up into the sky on his Nimbus 2000, "Don't worry little sis, this broom more than compensates",

Ginny gave Harry a wide smile as he came pulling up next to her, "You know, you'll have to give me a shot on that later" Ginny told him,

"Sure thing Gin, want to ride along with me or by yourself?" Harry teased,

Ginny blushed fiercely at him as she took off to go grab the quaffle.

The rest of the day was spent playing Quidditch, eventually coming down around dinner time. Molly had invited the Evans over to join them. As they all sat around the table outside, the group was surprised when another two guests joined them. Apparating on the edge of the Burrow's wards, Alec and his father Lennox came walking into the Weasley's front yard,

"G'day you lot, sorry for the rude interruption, was wondering if you have room for two more?" Lennox asked, "I ended up burning dinner, so Alec suggested we come and check out what you lot are up to" Lennox smiled sheepishly.

Molly stood up straight away and conjured another two chairs for the Henderson's, "Certainly Lennox, Alec, you're more than welcome to join us",

"Thank you, Molly, smells lovely by the way" Lennox complimented,

Molly flushed with embarrassment as she took her seat next to Arthur again. Lennox and Alec ended up sitting opposite the Potters, and next to the Evans.

"Good to see you two again, I was hoping we could catch up before Christmas" Lennox greeted the siblings,

Harry smiled at the two new guests as he continued to eat, "It's good to see you two as well. You missed out on our Quidditch match today Alec"

"Ah, bugger, oh well. We can always have one on Christmas" Alec replied,

"Sounds good to me, although Rose might need to ride someone else's broom" Harry nudged his sister,

Rose blushed as she elbowed Harry in the ribs, "Shush you, I'll only fly with you",

Alec gave her a wink as, "You can always fly with me if you want"

"That's okay, someone has to stop Harry from crashing" Rose blushed,

"So, Mr Henderson, we were wondering if you could tell us about our parents" Harry asked,

Lennox wiped his mouth with a napkin before he spoke up, "Certainly, but first, please, just call me Lennox, or Skippy if you really want"

"Skippy?" Rose asked,

James nodded as he stood up, "Back at school your father and his friends learned how to become Animagi. I caught them one day and made them teach me how to become one," Lennox chuckled at the memory, "I ended up becoming a Kangaroo, how Australian I know",

And as to demonstrate, Lennox stepped back and transformed into a large, muscular Big Red Kangaroo, hopping around a bit for theatrical effect. The table clapped and hollered at the performance, before Lennox transformed back into his human form,

"As you can see, it's quite fun" Lennox said grinning,

Harry and Rose looked ecstatic at the performance they'd just witnessed, "That's wicked! What did our dad turn into?" Harry asked,

Lennox looked at the two with a melancholy look in his face before answering, "Your father, James, took the form of black stag with massive horns…hence his nickname Prongs. Sirius Black took the form of a big shaggy black border collie, they called him Padfoot. Peter Pettigrew, well he turned into a rat funny enough, so he was called Wormtail…and Remus Lupin, well Remus was a wolf of sorts…so they called him Moony"

Harry and Rose nodded in understanding, before Rose suddenly stood, "Give me a second, I want to grab something from home. I'll be right back"

And with that, Rose disappeared into the Burrow, returning a number of minutes later with a big leather-bound book.

"Mum and Dad's photo album, you can point some people out after dinner!" Rose explained,

Lennox beamed at the young Potter as she sat back down, "Sounds like a great idea",

So, the night continued, with the friends chatting away and enjoying themselves. Lennox reintroduced himself to the Evans who he met briefly at James and Lily's wedding. Molly out did herself with dessert once again, as she levitated three massive treacle tarts out onto the table for everyone to enjoy, along with ice-cream. Eventually everyone stuffed themselves as full as googs and wandered back into the Burrow for tea and coffee.

Lennox, Rose, Harry, Alec and the rest of the Weasley children, minus Percy, took a seat at the kitchen table to have a look through the Potters photo album. Rose and Harry sat either side of the Henderson patriarch, listening to every word he said.

Lennox pointed out to a large portrait of people posing together, "This here is the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore founded it to fight Voldemort back in the first war. There's your mum and dad there, Sirius…Peter, Remus, Dumbledore, Hagrid, that there is Mad-Eye Moody, best Auror I've ever known. There's the Longbottom's, Frank and Alice, poor souls. Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, and lastly there's me"

Harry and Rose nodded as they looked hungrily on at this insight into the lives of their parents and their friends. Turning the page, Lennox pointed out the photo of a young boy on a toy broom being chased around by a big shaggy sheep dog, "Ah, there's you Harry, and Sirius chasing you around. You certainly did love to fly even then",

"Suppose I was born to fly then hey" Harry smirked,

"Too right Harry, you could become a professional!" Ron exclaimed,

Lennox continued on with the photos, pausing at a photo of four animals and two babies, "This must be one of the last photos they got together, there's Sirius, and that's you sitting on him Harry, and there's your dad, and Rose you're holding onto his antlers there, and there's Peter there, being held by Harry",

"Hey, that rat looks like Scabbers!" Ron told them,

Lennox head spun around to meet the boy's eyes directly, cocking his eyebrow slightly "what do you mean…who's Scabbers?" He asked,

Ron replied, "Scabber's my pet rat, he looks just like that rat there, 'cept he's missing a finger" Ron explained,

If Lennox' eyes could go any wider, you might of thought that he was an owl. Jumping up from his seat, he called out for the Weasley parents, "Molly! Arthur! Could you come here please!",

Arthur and Molly came hurrying into the kitchen quickly at hearing their names, "What's the matter Lennox?" Molly asked,

"Ron, how long have you had your rat?" Lennox asked, almost quietly, as if someone was listening in.

Ron started to go bugged eyed as he tried to think "I-I dunno, he was Percy's before mine, so about 10 years 'spose",

Lennox reared up in thought, muttering to himself, "That would be around the time he died…supposedly".

Lennox snapped his head towards the two elder Weasleys, "Arthur, could you please go into the ministry and grab a couple of Aurors, say it's for me. Molly, would you be kind enough to grab Professor Dumbledore, and tell him to bring some _veritaserum._ Ron, please grab Scabbers, and make sure he's locked in his cage",

The three Weasleys quickly scrabbled off to do their assigned tasks as Lennox sat back down again next to Rose and Harry, "Harry…Rose…there's something you need to know. Voldemort was after your parents for a while before he murdered them. More specifically he was after you Harry…he believed you could defeat him. So, Dumbledore hid them using a very powerful charm called the Fidelius Charm, which can only be broken if the secret keeper, a person who knows the whereabouts of the object that is hidden, tells someone the location.'

"It is generally thought that James had chosen Sirius to be his secret keeper, as they were best friends, and as such we always believed it was Sirius who betrayed him. Peter went and faced off Sirius, and in the process 12 muggles were killed, and Peter was killed as well…all that was left was a finger",

Lennox paused as the two Potters stared on with shocked and emotion filled faces, "But…if Peter is alive…then it's very possible that we were all wrong, and an innocent man is currently jailed," Lennox finished,

By that stage, Ron had brought Scabbers back down from downstairs. Ron passed the cage off to Lennox, who noticed straight away that the rat began to squeak and panic in the presence of Lennox. Bringing his wand out, Lennox said a silent incantation, and Scabbers glowed bright blue for a moment. Fury crossed the face of Lennox as he brought the cage up to his face,

"Hello Peter…seems like you're not quite dead now are you," he spat.

Lennox sat the cage back down on the table and cast a number of charms at it silently, as he turned back to Ron, "Sorry Ron, you might not have a rat at the end of tonight"

"It's okay…he was a pretty useless rat to be honest" Ron replied,

Lennox smirked at the boy, "Yeah, well he was a pretty useless wizard too don't worry about that",

At that moment, Arthur had returned with a couple of Aurors, who identified themselves as John Dawlish and Kingsley Shacklebolt. Kingsley was wearing rather exotic robes which matched his exotic dark skin and deep heavy accent. Dawlish on the other hand was a big slab of British meat if there ever was one.

"Minister, I hope there is a good explanation for this" Dawlish greeted,

Lennox glared at the Auror before turning to Kingsley, "Dawlish, Kingsley, it's good to see you both. And the reason you're here will be discussed shortly once another member of our party is here",

Kingsley and Dawlish nodded their understandings as Kingsley made his way over to Harry and Rose, "Ms Potter, Mr Potter, it is an honour to meet you both, Kingsley Shacklebolt, at your service" the Auror greeted in his deep soothing voice.

"Nice to meet you Mr Shacklebolt, so how's your evening going so far?" Rose joked,

Kingsley chuckled at Rose's joke, "Much better now that I'm meeting a couple of celebrities".

As the group chatted idly amongst each other, a noise from the lounge room brought them back to attention, as the imposing figure of Albus Dumbledore entered the room, "Ah, Rose, Harry, I was not expecting to see you until Christmas, but alas it appears fate has other ideas"

"Professor, I wouldn't ask you to come here if I didn't think it was important" Lennox told him as he walked up to the old Headmaster,

Dumbledore merely patted James shoulder as he made his way over to the table, "It is quite alright Mr Henderson, now, let us see who we have here, Mr Shacklebolt, if you could please stun this rat"

Kingsley complied and sent a red stunning spell at the rat, who jumped in his cage before rolling over petrified. Opening up the cage, Dumbledore placed the rat on the ground and waved his wand in an incantation. Slowly but surely, Scabbers started to take on the form of a human, as arms lengthened, legs become longer, a human head formed and fur was replaced with clothes. Sitting in front of them was a stocky, porpoise, balding man with rat like teeth and eyes.

"I…I can't believe it…you know what this means Albus?" Lennox said,

Dumbledore nodded his head in approval as he leant down next to Peter, "Indeed I do Lennox, _revenerate"_

The rat like eyes suddenly sprang to life as the rat like man staggered back into the kitchen bench, scrambling for safety, "L-Lennox…it's good to see you old friend" He grovelled,

Lennox walked over to Peter before pulling his wand out and placing it on the man's throat, "You should be dead! It was you, wasn't it!"

Peter shrivelled up as far as he could against the bench at the touch of Lennox' wand, "I-I-I don't k-know w-what you're ta-talking about"

Lennox pressed his wand tip further into Peter's throat, "You know exactly what I'm talking about! You can't hide this anymore Pettigrew!", Peter let out a little whimper at Lennox's forceful voice, "You betrayed the Potters, didn't you! You betrayed your own friends!", Lennox spat into Peter's face,

"Lennox, perhaps now is an excellent time to try out Severus' potion making" Dumbledore told Lennox, as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder,

Lennox softened at the touch and recalled his wand from the rats throat, "Fine, but one move and I'll blast the rat back to the hole he crawled out of",

Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand at Peter, forcing his mouth open, allowing him to place a couple of drops of _Veritaserum_ into his mouth. Peter's eyes glazed over and his face went limp as Dumbledore cancelled the charm on his mouth. Standing back up, Dumbledore stared down at the man with fury in his eyes,

"Is your name Peter Pettigrew?" Dumbledore asked him,

Peter's head nodded slowly, "Yes",

"Were you secret keeper for James and Lily Potter?" Dumbledore continued,

Once again Peter nodded, "Yes",

Kingsley and Arthur had to restrain Lennox when he heard the last part, "You disgusting little traitorous rat!" he called out,

"Mr Henderson, please, control yourself. Peter, did you betray Lily and James Potter out of your own free will?",

Peter nodded again, "Yes",

"Why?" was all Dumbledore asked, trying to contain his own anger,

"She stole him away from me, I wanted James for myself…but she stole him from me" he said robotically,

"Who Peter, who stole James?" Dumbledore pressed,

"Lily, she stole James from me. I wanted him all to myself. I loved him. More than how a friend should. James took me in, protected me, loved me like a friend, even a brother. But I wanted more. I wanted James to be mine forever. But he betrayed me by marrying that mudblood" Peter automatically let out,

Ron and Ginny had to restrain Harry as he tried to lunge at the man, "How dare you talk about my mother like that!" Harry cried out,

Rose wasn't much better. Ginny had told her what the word meant many weeks ago, but unfortunately no one was stopping her from stepping forwards and railing her fists against Peters face, "You bloody arsehole! How dare you!", Lennox and Alex quickly pulled the youngest Potter back before she could do any real damage.

Peter showed no emotion as he continued to take the insults and blows, "So you betrayed Lily and James Potter, as well as their two children, out of jealousy of James' love for Lily and his children?" Dumbledore enquired,

Peter only nodded this time, saying nothing as the Aurors stepped forward to take him off to the ministry, "Peter, you are truly the most despicable man I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. You put Gryffindor's to shame" Dumbledore scathed at the man.

"Kingsley, make sure you bring Sirius out of Azkaban, and set a retrial for him as soon as possible" Dumbledore instructed.

The two Aurors nodded as they took Peter outside and out of the Burrows wards, disapparating with a pop. Dumbledore turned to Rose and Harry, who had both taken a seat at the kitchen table, their heads in their hands. Lennox was being comforted by his son as Alec wrapped an arm around his father. Rose's eyes glistened with tears as she silently cried, her head falling onto Harrys shoulder.

"I think…we can all agree, that what we witnessed tonight was necessary to prove the innocence of a man failed by our society" Dumbledore told them as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder,

Lennox looked up at his old headmaster and nodded his head, "Agreed, I…I can't believe it though…Peter, of all the people",

Harry and Rose looked at Lennox, "Sirius, was he a good man?" Harry asked,

Lennox turned to look at them and smiled, "Second only to your father. One of the kindest and loveliest men I've had the pleasure of knowing. Both brave Gryffindor's, although the practical joker always",

Harry and Rose chuckled at the idea of their father being a joker much like the twins, "So what now?" Rose asked,

This time Dumbledore spoke up, "We shall have a trial for Peter, and a retrial for Sirius, and this time, we shall throw the guilty into prison, not the innocent",

"Well…I don't know about you lot but I think I need a cup of tea" Molly interrupted,

"I'll help you Molly" Juni added, snapping out of her grief at hearing the truth behind her daughter and son in laws murder,

Alex joined Arthur as the elder Weasley comfited the older man, who had just suffered hearing about his daughter's death once again.

Ginny came over to Harry and grabbed the boy's hand, pulling him up, "Come on, let's all go outside" She suggested,

Harry and Rose complied in a robotic attitude as they followed Ginny outside, Ron and Alec on their tail, and the twins not far behind. Percy was currently helping with the preparation of the tea and so stayed behind. Ginny led the group to a cluster of trees close to the pond by the Burrow. She stopped at the trunk of the tree and spun around, embracing Harry in a tight hug,

"I'm so sorry Harry…I'm so sorry" She cooed into the boy's ear,

Harry returned the embrace and held onto the young Weasley tight, "It's okay Gin…I'll be okay",

Warmth and love spread throughout Harry's body as Ginny and him embraced. It felt like they were the only two people in existence at that point. The scent of Ginny's floral hair wafted into Harry's nose like some sort of euphoric drug. The sensation of feeling her dainty hands on his back and around his neck made Harry feel tingly all over. It was different to any other kind of hug he'd had, it was special, it was intimate, but most importantly it was incredible. Harry eventually, and reluctantly, snapped back to reality and broke the embrace, smiling at his crush before turning around to face his sister and grabbed her into a tight embrace, "Why us H-Harry…w-why couldn't we h-have a n-normal family" Rose cried into her brother's shirt,

Harry stroked his sister's hair as he cooed into her ear, "I don't know Rose, but no one will ever take our family away from us again" he reassured her,

Rose nodded her head as she continued to soak his shirt. Ron came over and placed a hand on his best mate's shoulder, who returned the gesture by smiling at him. Alec in the meantime placed a gentle hand on Rose's shoulder, gently squeezing it in reassurance. The acts of love and friendship were broken by Professor Dumbledore as he came outside and over to the children,

"My dear…dear children. You should never have had to witness that…you especially Harry, Rose. At least now, justice can be set" the old headmaster told the group.

Harry let go of his sister, and in a surprise to all in the group, walked over and embraced his headmaster in a tight hug, joined by Rose shortly after, "Thank you for everything Professor…thank you" Harry whispered hoarsely,

Dumbledore stiffened at their touch, but relaxed and returned the embrace a moment later, beaming down at the two young Potters, "My children, you are very welcome. I must leave you now, but I shall see you soon, either at the trial, or on Christmas day"

And with that, Dumbledore bade his farewells to the other children and retreated back inside the house. The group of kids sat down underneath the tree by the pond just taking in each-others presence. Ginny and Rose each took one of Harry's shoulders, laying their head atop it. Unseen to all, Ginny and Harry's hands entangled themselves together by their side, each gently stroking the others thumb with theirs.

"Blimey…I don't even want to think about what I've done with that…rat…" Ron broke the silence,

Fred and George looked at their little brother with raised eyebrows, "Whatever do you mean Ronnikins" Fred Asked,

"Do we really want to know Ronny?" George added,

Ron turned to face his elder brothers with a slight scrowl, "Well I mean…I've had him in my bed ever since I got him…so basically I've been sleeping with a grown man…and a murder" Ron paled at the thought,

"Best not think about it Ron, it's for the best" George said, patting his brother's knees sarcastically,

"Who could do that, betray your own friends like that. Dad always talked about how the group of friends let Peter in, looked after him, protected him. And then he does something like that out of jealousy," Alec spoke up.

Harry stared at the sky as he laid his head against the tree, stroking Ginny's hand and Rose's hair, "I'm still finding it hard to process everything…I wish…I really just wish he picked someone else…I know that's selfish of me to ask but Rose and I lost both our parents. What if we had them."

Rose buried her head into Harry's neck as fresh tears streamed down her face, "It's not selfish at all mate, it's completely understandable…" Ron reassured his friend,

"And besides, that bastard paid dearly for his mistake" Ginny added, shocking everyone with her language,

"Miss Ginevra, don't let mum hear you speaking like that" Fred teased,

Ginny glared at her older brother for calling her by her proper name, "Watch it Fred, otherwise you might end up waking up in a trunk, with no way out",

Fred stuck his hands up defensively as he smirked at his younger sister, "I retract my statement little sis."

"Going soft there Fred" George teased,

"I think you know that's for the best Forge"

"Indeed Gred",

Eventually Molly called them all back insides, coaxing them in with tea and cake. Getting up, Harry and Ginny shared a quick smile as they released each-others hands and made their way back inside. Waiting for them inside was a pile of scones and small Neenish tarts along with a big pot of tea. Lennox had already helped himself, drinking a large cup of black tea. Opposite him sat Juni and Alex, whose eyes were red from crying. Arthur stood next to his wife, his hands wrapped around her as she stood and watched the children come back in.

Harry and Rose took a seat next to their grandparents as they poured themselves a cup of tea each, "Thank you for everything Lennox, we appreciate you acting so quickly" Harry spoke up,

Lennox smiled at the young Potters, setting his own cup down, "It was nothing, don't worry about it. I'm just glad the truth finally came out…I have a lot of making up to do…"

The group sat there in relative silence as they enjoyed their cups of tea. Eventually the Evans beckoned their grandchildren homewards as they finished up their tea and cake. Moving into the longue room, Arthur lit a fire and threw some floo powder in for the Evans to step threw. Juni and Alex went first, baying farewell to the Weasleys, and then Rose, who made sure to especially say goodbye to Alec. Lastly, Harry made his way over to the fireplace, but before he could, he grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her close, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, "Thank you…for everything",

Ginny nodded in stunned silence as Harry let go, and disappeared into the fireplace with a smile on his face. Ron smirked at his sister who was turning red in the face, "How do you like that, Ginny just got a peck by Harry Potter".

Ginny scowled at her brother, whacking him in the arm as she retreated back up to her room.

Rose and Harry went straight to bed that night, Rose cuddling up to Harry, tears still silently marking her face. Harry just let her cry, stroking her hair and holdings her close until she eventually fell asleep. And then he let his own tears fall…soaking his pillow as he thought about his parents and what could have been.

Little did the two Potters know, that life was soon going to take a turn for the better…

That turn started the next day, Sunday the 22nd of December, 3 days till Christmas. It was decided that Sirius Blacks 'retrial' would take place the next day, Monday the 23rd, as to avoid the three-day Christmas break. Dumbledore came over to the Weasleys early Sunday morning to announce the decision, before arriving at the Evans to relay the same news. It was decided that both families would pay testimony during the trial, since they were all present at the moment of truth that fateful Saturday night. Harry and Rose found out about the news at breakfast that morning, only nodding in understanding, still too numb from the night before to talk.

Sunday was very subdued, as the Potters stayed at home for the day, reading books by the fire or watching old VCR's. Eventually after midday, Ginny and Ron made their way over to the Evans to catch up with their best friends,

The two came out of the fireplace, catching themselves as they greeted the two startled Potters, "Hey you two, mind if we visit?" Ron greeted,

Harry shook his head and pointed to the other longue across from them, "Go ahead, what's up?"

"We just thought we'd check up on you…we know last night was…rough" Ginny explained,

"You can say that again" Rose replied,

Ron sheepishly smiled as he sat on the couch, "so, do you two wanna do anything?"

Harry sat up and looked at his friend, "Want to watch another muggle movie?"

"Sure thing, whatcha feel like watching?" Ron replied,

Ginny and Rose gave each-other a look before calling out, "ROM COM!",

The two boys gave a look of disgust as their sisters bounced up from the couch to go search for a movie. They eventually settled on _Pretty Woman._ Throughout the movie, Ginny and Harry shared looks with each-other, occasionally smiling at the other when they caught one of them staring. At some point in the movie, Ron had fallen asleep on the couch, and Harry and Ginny had moved to sit together on the carpeted floor, holding hands once more. By the time the movie was over, Ron was well and truly fast asleep. In an effort to wake him up, Ginny grabbed a cushion and wacked her big brother hard on the head,

"Wassapping!" Ron mumbled in fright as he shot up,

"Come on you lug, time to go home, mum wants us back for dinner" Ginny told her brother,

Ron sat up and rubbed his eyes before making his way over to the fireplace, "'aight, we'll see you tomorrow then, see ya!" and with that, Ron threw some floo powder into the fire and whooshed away to the Burrow.

"Alright, take care you two, see you soon" Ginny called out as she followed her brother's steps,

Before she could though, Harry grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her in to peck her cheek, "I'll see you tomorrow Gin, thank you for coming around, I think you saved my sanity" Harry smiled,

Ginny blushed as she playfully slapped Harrys arm before disappearing into the fireplace.

For the Potters, the rest of the day was quite relaxing. Rose helped Harry study and complete his holiday homework, and Harry taught Rose all he knew. Eventually it was dinner time, then bed time, and soon their heads hit their pillows and they fell softly to sleep.

They were all ready for an early start that Monday. Juni woke them up at the crack of dawn so that they could floo over to the Ministry in London to sit in at the trials of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. Making their way into the kitchen for breakfast, the siblings sat down groggily and began to silently pile their plates with a small amount of food,

"Are you all ready for today dears?" Juni asked, "Got everything you need?",

The siblings nodded at their grandmother as they continued to silently eat, "You know, you don't have to do this dears" Juni added, "The Weasleys and Aurors can testify for you",

"No…we need to do this…for Mum and Dad" Harry said forcefully, "If we don't, what legacy are we leaving them",

"Besides, I want to see that rat get taken down" Rose added,

Harry grinned at his sister who beamed back, "Couldn't have worded it better myself sis",

"Right back at you bro",

The group of early risers eventually finished up breakfast and departed for the loungeroom. Alex was currently sitting by the fire with a large cup of tea, having been tending the flames so that they could use the Floo," Morning you lot, ready for today?" He asked them,

Rose made her way over to her grandfather and gave him and hug, "As much as we'll ever be" she told him, "We'll make sure that man pays for what he did to mum" Harry added,

Alex gave them both a wan smile as he stood up to bid his wife goodbye, "You go get justice for our little girl my love" He cooed into her ear, "You know I will Alex, you know I will" Juni whispered back.

Breaking the embrace, Juni strode over and threw some floo powder into the fireplace, turning it to green. She beckoned the two Potters on before she followed them through, turning around to blow a kiss at her husband and love of her life. Harry and Rose stepped out at the Burrow, where a solemn crowd greeted them around the Weasley longue room. Ginny was the first to greet them, standing up and striding over to Harry to embrace him,

"Whatever happens, I'm here for you" she told him softly,

"Thanks Gin, eventually this will all be over",

"It will be, but for now you need to do your parents proud",

The pair broke apart as Ginny went over to embrace Rose. Ron in the meantime had come over and embraced his best friend in a tight manhug, "You alright mate?" He asked as he pulled back, "Yeah, I will be, you lot certainly make things better" Harry smiled,

Ron grinned at his best mate as he took his seat again, "Well, us Weasleys are good like that",

Before Harry and Rose could sit down, Molly swept them both into a bone crushing hug, "Oh, my dears, you are so brave for what you're doing today!" She told them as silent tears stained her cheeks,

"Thanks Mrs Weasley, it'll be easier with everyone by our side" Harry said as he returned the embrace,

Arthur came over to join them, laying a hand on each of their shoulders as he looked down on them, "You two are truly Potters, braver then anyone I've ever met, you go and show those old coot wizards and witches whose boss" He grinned at them,

Harry gave the Weasley Patriarch a wide smile as he replied, "Will do Mr Weasley, we'll make sure they never forget us again"

"And if they do, they'll be sorry" Rose added,

The room let out a chuckle at the two siblings' comment, as the two elder Weasleys retreated back to their seats. They sat for a while, drinking tea and enjoying an early morning cake before finally having to go over to the Ministry and prepare themselves for the trials. Arthur threw some floo powder into the fireplace for the group, before he stepped through himself. Soon after, Percy, then the twins, Ron, Harry, Rose, Juni, Ginny and Molly made their way through to the ministry where they were greeted with the hustle and bustle of the early morning commute to offices. The group made their way over to the security desk where they were subjected to a wand weighing and given name tags with their business at the ministry highlighted.

Arthur led them through the winding mess of the Ministry, whilst Harry and Rose gawked on, eventually finding a set of elevators to beckon them into. Making their way down deeper and deeper into the ministry, Harry and Rose questioned Arthur about the different aspects of the ministry, such as the paper planes carrying messages, the different departments, and where exactly they were going,

"The trial is set in the Wizengamot, a high court. It's all the way down in the department of Mysteries" he told the Potters,

"Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked, "What's so mysterious about it?",

Arthur stepped back a bit further into elevator as another office worker stepped in, "It's where all sorts of unknown magic is invented or experimented on. It's mostly research and inventing new spells",

The Potters nodded at the answer and sat in relative silence as they travelled down to the bottom level. Arriving at their stop, the group made their way out and down a hallway to a set of large black oak doors. Pushing them away, the group were greeted with the sight of dozens of older wizards and witches seated in an amphitheatre style courtroom. Around the room sat stone seating for witnesses and friends and family to sit on. In the centre sat a large wooden chair with straps fastened on the armrests.

Harry took in the crowd sitting in front of him. He recognized a few faces, most notably Professor Dumbledore, who sat near the bottom of the seating, and Lennox, who sat next to him. Harry waved at the two, who both gave him a wide smile and wave back as they resumed their conversation. Continuing to scan the room, Harry took in the other members of the court, noticing that many of them were older wizards and witches. Thinking to himself, Harry wondered how many sentences were carried out because of tradition and rules instead of justice.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted when the doors they had just entered through opened up once more, revealing a procession of robed wizards and witches, headed by a man in his early 60s, with thinning grey-blonde hair and a fat face. Following him was a woman in her late 50s, wearing a bright pink cardigan underneath her Wizengamot robes. She had toad like features, with bulging eyes and a thin, stretched mouth and mousy brown hair. Flanking them were a row of what Harry assumed were Aurors judging from what Kingsley and Dawlish were wearing the other night.

The two figures made their way up to the court seating, just as one of older Wizengamot members stood to attention, "All stand for the minister of magic, the honourable Cornelius Fudge!" he called out,

Harry and Rose stood, looking around as the others around them, and the court all rose as the so called 'minister of magic' took his seat at the podium in the middle of the court seating. As the minister sat, the rest of the courtroom sat with him.

"We are here today for the retrial of one Sirius Orion Black, are all members present" The minister spoke out,

Dumbledore cleared his throat at this point, "Technically minister, this is the trial of Peter Pettigrew, and the first trial of Sirius Black due to not receiving a trial directly after his arrest"

The minister glared with venom at the headmaster, "Yes yes, you are correct Dumbledore, as usual", he said the last part under his breath.

"Aurors, bring in the first defendant, Sirius Orion Black" The minister instructed,

The two Aurors guarding the courtroom door retreated to the outside, returning soon after with a dishevelled looking man with scraggily, messy black hair, sunken grey eyes and torn clothing. The man looked like walking death. Sirius did not resist as the Aurors dragged him up to the wooden chair in the middle of the room, neither did he object when the clamps on the arms of the chair strapped him in. He merely looked up at the minister with tired eyes and awaited the questioning.

"Aurors, please apply the _Veritaserum"_ Fudge instructed,

The Auror took out a small vial of the clear looking liquid, taking out the stopper and dropping two drops into Sirius' opened mouth. The effects were immediate, Sirius eyes glazed over and his whole body relaxed into a robotic composure.

Leaning forward onto the podium, Fudge stared Sirius in the eye, "State your name for the court" He ordered,

"Sirius Orion Black" Sirius answered, his voice hoarse from years of silence.

The clerk taking note began to record the information being spoken, as a _Quick Quills notepad_ caught what he couldn't. Leaning forward again, Fudge asked him, "Were you secret keeper for Lily and James Potter?",

Sirius shook his head slowly, "I was not". This revelation brought many a gasp from those who were only hearing the news now. At this time, an older witch with an eyepatch on one eye stood up,

"Mr Black, why were we led to believe you were secret keeper when clearly you weren't" She asked,

Sirius slowly turned his head to face the older witch, "It was a ruse…I was the most likely target. Peter was considered…insignificant…on Voldemort's radar", He finished as people whelped and cringed at mentioning Voldemort's name.

"And so, Peter Pettigrew was made Secret Keeper because you were more likely to be target, is that correct?" the older witch asked again,

Sirius nodded his head slowly again, "Yes…that is correct",

Many members of the jury and court were looking towards the minister, calls for release were being hurled around the room, "I think…we should interrogate the next suspect before we draw conclusions" Fudge announced, his voice wavering.

The two Aurors at the back doors disappeared again, this time bringing back the very reluctant Peter Pettigrew, who was kicking and thrashing as the two Aurors dragged him into another chair that was conjured next to Sirius. Peter's eyes widened at the sight of his old 'friend', doubling his efforts to try and escape,

"MR PETTIGREW! You will restrain yourself!" The older witch called down from the court.

The two Aurors eventually managed to strap the rat into the chair, although he continued to thrash and fight against them,

"ITS ALL A LIE, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING I SWEAR!" He screamed as loud as he could,

Fudge covered his ears from the noise and motioned for the Aurors to apply the _Veritaserum._ Forcing Peter's mouth open, the Aurors placed a few drops of the truth serum in, before allowing his mouth to relax again. The rat's eyes glazed over and his body relaxed, much like the other night.

Fudge once more began to question the suspect, "State your name for the court",

"Peter Pettigrew" The rat said quietly and robotically,

The court once again gasped, believing that Peter was dead and had been for many years.

The older witch stood up again, staring down at the suspect, "Why were we lead to believe that you were dead for 10 years Mr Pettigrew?".

"I was hiding…" he answered softly,

"From who!" The older witch pressed,

"The order of the Phoenix…and Sirius Black" Peter told them,

The older witch looked towards Dumbledore, "Albus, was the Order after Peter?"

"I can assure you Madam Bones; the order does not hunt down targets to assassinate. Peter was a member, and until the other night, I myself had no idea of his current state" Dumbledore answered Madam Bones,

Madam Bones once again pulled her attention to Peter, "Why were you fleeing the order and Sirius, Peter".

Peter looked around the room, robotically going over the angry face of James, "I was Lily and James Potter's Secret Keeper, I gave the Dark Lord their whereabouts not long after I was given the position",

Sirius, now leaving his state of lethargy due to the truth serum, reacted violently at hearing these words, "YOU TRAITORIOUS SCUM! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"MR BLACK! RESTRAIN YOURSELF!" Fudge cried out,

As if some invisible force was pulling him up, Harry grabbed his sisters' hand and strode over to the chair that held Sirius. Rose, realizing what Harry was doing, went the other side of Sirius that Harry was heading towards. Together, they each placed a hand on the man's shoulders, squeezing gently.

Sirius looked up in fright at the two figures who softly touched him, "H-Harry…R-Rose…" He whispered,

Harry and his sister gave Sirius a wide smile before looking back up at Fudge, "I do believe we can continue Minister" Harry called out,

Taken aback by the young Potter's actions, Fudge stuttered, "Ah…Yes…thank you Mr Potter, Miss Potter", Fudge motioned towards Madam Bones to continue interrogating.

Nodding her thanks to the two Potters, Madam Bones continued to question Peter, "Why were you made Secret Keeper for the Potter's instead of Sirius Black?",

"I was deemed less of a threat to the Dark Lord, and also not as close to the Potters as Sirius…They thought I was the least likely person he would target" Peter told them,

Madam Bones shook her head before continuing, "Why did you join Voldemort, Peter?" Once again, the mention of Voldemort's name brought cringing and whelps.

Peter looked around at the court once more, "I was in love with James Potter…however the Mudblood Lily Potter stole him from me. I plotted to remove her, but then she gave birth to the blood traitor Harry. I knew then I had to seek assistance from the Dark Lord. My Master",

Sirius, although subdued by the Potter siblings, growled like a dog at the rat, and Lennox visibly strained to keep himself professional at hearing insults be hurled at his dead friends and their son.

Madam Bones, clearly taken aback by Peters answer, cleared her throat before continuing her interrogation, "So you allowed the murder of the Potters because you could not gain the love from James Potter that he showed his family".

"Yes" was all Peter said, before returning to his robotic state.

Dumbledore stood up at this point to address the court, "My fellow members, I do believe we have heard everything we need to hear today! Let justice be served I say. However, if you so wish to, there are a number of witnesses that provide even more support to either of the cases",

Most of the court at this point shouted in agreement, calling for Sirius' release and Peter's imprisonment. Peter, who at this point was coming off the truth serum, began to panic and cry as members of the court called for his punishment to be made.

Eventually, Fudge managed to gain control of the court once more, "I think it is agreed that Mr Black is clear of all charges. As an apology from the entire ministry, we shall grant you the same pay rate as myself for the time you spent imprisoned",

The court applauded the decision, as did the witnesses behind Harry and Rose. The two siblings grinned down at the now smiling Sirius, who could only beam up at the two Potters.

"I recommend no less than 40 years imprisonment for Mr Pettigrew, extended to whatever the Jury believes is fair", Fudge continued,

The courtroom shouted in agreement, whilst others called for life imprisonment. Peter shrunk in his chair as his fate was decided. Eventually the court concluded and Fudge rose out of his chair, "It is decided then, for the meantime, Mr Pettigrew shall receive the sentence of 40 years, to be reviewed at a later date. I now call this meeting of the Wizengamot concluded. Good day to you all", and with that, the minister made his way out of the court, followed by the toad like woman and flanked by the Aurors who followed him in.

The Aurors guarding the door retrieved the now sobbing Pettigrew, dragging him out of the courtroom and deeper into the Ministry. The clasps around Sirius' wrists released themselves, allowing him to flex and rub his wrists in freedom. Standing up, Sirius looked at the two Potters who stood next to him, grinning like mad.

"I can't believe how much you've grown! I remember when you were small enough to ride on my back!" Sirius told them in amazement.

Harry grinned up at his father's best friend, "It's good to finally meet you properly Sirius, this time we'll be able to remember it",

Sirius let out a barking laugh as he swooped in to embrace the two young Potters, "No offence Sirius, but you really need a bath" Rose chimed,

Letting out another laugh, Sirius released the two, only to be greeted with a hand on his shoulder, "Hey Sirius" the voice of Lennox said,

Sirius spun around, grinning at his old friend before grabbing his hand in a tight handshake, "Lennox! God you've aged", he joked,

Lennox let out a laugh as he broke the handshake, "Still look better then you, you old mutt",

Sirius let out a chuckle before turning his attention back to the Potters, "Look at these two hey, the spitting image of Lily and James, god I wish I could have seen them grow up" Sirius lamented,

Lennox patted his friends shoulder, "Don't worry Padfoot, I'm sure you'll be seeing plenty of them",

"Yeah, you can come live with us!" Rose called out,

Harry wrapped an arm around his sister, pulling her close, "Damn right you can, we've got a lot of catch up on, don't we Rose",

"Too right Big bro",

Lennox and Sirius laughed at the two, "Sounds like we've got a couple of Marauders in the making" Sirius said, "The spirit of James flows strong in these two",

"Too right, and from what my boy tells me, Harry fly's even better then James", Lennox added,

Sirius looked at his old friend, "How is Alec, haven't seen him in years?",

"He's doing just fine, he'll be glad to meet you again" Lennox told him,

"And how about Gabrielle and your little Vivian" Sirius asked,

Lennox's eyes sunk with sadness, "They're…. fine…I'll tell you later",

Sirius nodded before turning his attention back to the Potters, "So you two, shall we get out of here?"

The two Potters nodded enthusiastically before turning on their heel and making their way back over to the Weasleys and Juni, who was talking to Dumbledore.

Seeing the two approach, Juni broke her conversation with the professor, making her way over to her grandchildren, taking them into a tight embrace. Sirius followed them over, greeting the mother of his long dead friend, "Hello Juni, it's nice to see you again",

Juni broke her embrace with Harry and Rose, before embracing Sirius in a tight hug, "Sirius, it's so nice to see you again…I'm so glad everything worked out" She told him.

At this point, Dumbledore had made his way over to Sirius and the others as well, "Ah, Sirius, it is nice to have you back with us" The old headmaster said, taking Sirius hand in a shake,

"Professor, it's nice to see you again, I take it I have you to thank for all this?" He asked his old headmaster,

Dumbledore shook his head and pointed to Rose and Ron, "I'm afraid I was not part of this doing, at least in the beginning. It was Miss Potter here who brought out an old photo album of Lily's. In it, was a photo of Peter. Mr Weasley was able to spot the similarities between the Animagus and his pet rat",

Sirius grinned at the youngest Potter, "Well, it is to be expected, she's got the cunning of a Potter and the wisdom of an Evans",

Rose grinned up at Sirius, "Don't forget the sass of a Potter" She joked, "I'm pretty sure Harry's the nice one",

The group laughed at Rose's comments, before they went over and introduced Sirius to the Weasleys, "Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley, Gin, and the rest of you lot" Harry started,

"HEY!" Ron and the twins interrupted,

"I would like you to meet Sirius Black" Harry introduced him with a smile.

Molly and Arthur stepped forward to shake Sirius' hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Black" Molly greeted,

"Please, Please, just Sirius…Mr Black makes me sound like I'm in trouble" Sirius joked,

The group laughed and chatted for a while, until one of the Aurors came back to move them along. They all decided to grab some lunch at Diagon Alley, so that Sirius could check into Gringotts and reinstate his vault. Sirius went off with Harry, Rose and James to Gringotts, leaving the others at the _Leaky_ where they would have lunch afterwards.

Walking into Gringotts, the goblins behind the counters eyed the foursome suspiciously, especially Sirius. They walked all the way to the end, where they were greeted by the same Goblin that greeted Harry and Rose the first time they came to Gringotts,

"Mr Black, a pleasure to have you back with us, what can I do for you today" Griphook greeted with a hint of sarcasm.

Sirius smiled professionally at the goblin, "Greetings Griphook, I'm looking to reinstate my vault as well as withdraw some gold from them" Sirius told them, "Oh, and while we're at it, we might as well check out the Potter fortune",

Harry and Rose looked up at Sirius curiously, "We've got plenty of gold with us already Sirius, we don't need more" Harry told him,

Sirius chucked, "No no my dear boy, I'm not talking about withdrawing gold, I'm talking about looking into what your parents _really_ left you",

Harry and Rose's eyes widened at the thought of having even more money, slightly embarrassed at the thought.

Lennox cleared his throat at this point and stepped forward, "I'd also like to withdraw some gold from the Henderson vaults" James told them,

"Of course, minister, if you would like to follow me I shall personally take you down" Griphook told them, as he stepped off his counter and took them around the back of the bank hall.

Following Griphook through the bank, and to the mine carts that took them to the vaults, the group made small talk, discussing Sirius relationship with their parents and stories of their time at Hogwarts. Riding the mine cart down into the depths of Gringotts, the first stop they made was a vault with a large iron door with intricate animal and plant carvings gracing its door. On one side were animals native to Australia, including Kangaroos, Emus, Wombats and Wedgetail eagles. On the other side was a Scottish Thistle and a Unicorn and in the middle was a hand holding a star.

Lennox stepped out quickly, leaving the others behind, as he and Griphook went and withdrew money from the vault. Harry and Rose peered in examining what they could. From what they could see, the vault extended a number of metres back, with gold lining most of the floor. There were a few pieces of armour and ancient weaponry, and bookshelves lined with books.

Lennox was soon back, and hopped back into the cart with the other three, letting Griphook take control of the cart once more. Diving deeper once again into the banks vast caverns, the cart pulled to a stop near the very bottom of the cavern system. This time Sirius hopped out, examining the vault as Griphook opened it for him. Inside was much like the Henderson vault, with piles of gold and artefacts lining the vault floor. Sirius filled two large money bags before returning to the cart,

"We can go on foot from here to the Potter vault, it's not far" Griphook interrupted before Sirius sat down,

"Oh, alright, let's go then you lot" Sirius beckoned them all on.

Walking further down the cavern, Harry asked Sirius about the different kind of vaults there were,

"Sirius, how come your family vault is much further down then the rest?" Harry asked him,

Sirius smiled at the young Potter before explaining, "Well, you see, the older the house the further down the vault normally is. These were where the original vaults were built, and are the most protected. The Potters and Blacks are some of the oldest families in Britain, the Henderson's are just as old but they are what are considered a minor family, although the Potters aren't on the sacred 28 list either" Sirius explained,

"The sacred 28?" Rose asked as she came up alongside them,

"Yes, the original 28 wizarding families of Britain, the 'pureblood' families. Most of the families on there are pompous, arrogant, prejudice bastards, the exceptions being the Weasleys, Longbottom, Abbott, Ollivander, Shacklebolt and a few others. Potters were supposed to be on there but the old wizard that wrote it up didn't like your family's pro-muggle views" Sirius smirked at them, "Good on them I say",

Harry grinned at his sister at the idea that their family were hated for their defence of muggles, "Well, sounds like we need another list. Something along the lines of 'the righteous and non-arseholely 28" Harry suggested

Sirius and Lennox laughed out loud at the boy's comment, "I think that's a brilliant idea, the Potters can be first on" Lennox called out,

Soon enough, the group found themselves outside of another large vault door, this time crested with large Stags guarding a tree. Harry and Rose smiled at each other as they learned even more about their family. Griphook opened up the vault, which like the others, was loaded with gold and treasures. Harry and Rose's eyes almost boggled out of their heads.

"Welcome to the Potter family fortune young ones" Sirius patted them both on the back, "Of course, you can't legally access this until you're of age, but in the meantime, it'll just sit here and grow bigger with interest. What's more important however is the family investments" Sirius told the two Potters,

"Investments?" Rose asked,

Sirius nodded at the two, "Your family had shares in a vast amount of wizarding companies, and knowing your Grandpa Potter, probably some muggle ones too…but like I say, you won't have access until you're of age", Sirius explained, "But don't worry, I'll make sure everything is on track, then I'll let it run its course and you'll be even richer",

Finishing up their business in Gringotts, the foursome made their way back up to the surface to have lunch with the Weasleys and Juni. Sirius treated them to whatever they wanted off the menu, stating it was his wish to make those who gave him his freedom happy.

Not long after, the group decided it was best to head home and call it a day, seeing as it was Christmas eve the next day, and everyone would be busy decorating their houses. It was decided that Sirius would stay with the Evans in one of spare rooms, once it was made liveable. In the meantime, he would stay on a camper bed in Harry and Rose's room. The two siblings were more than happy to share with their new family friend.

The day passed and eventually everyone retired to their separate houses for the night, readying themselves for the onslaught of Christmas. That is how Harry, Rose and Sirius found themselves chatting into the night as they sat in Lily's old room.

"I remember coming to this old place when I was only just fresh out of Hogwarts. Your mother wanted to introduce James and his friends to your grandparents" He told them, "Your gramps was mighty happy with James, but I think Juni took some talking to see that James was a responsible person, and not just a prankster" Sirius chuckled,

Harry and Rose were currently sitting on the edge of their bed listening to Sirius, taking every word in, "Listen…I don't know what your grandparents or even Dumbledore of James have said…but I think we need to discuss your Guardianship" Sirius turned serious.

"Our guardianship?" Rose asked,

Sirius nodded slowly, "You see…James and Lily made me your Godfather, which, now that I'm legally free and innocent again, I can resume" Sirius explained, "Of course I'm not about to take you away from your Grandparents, but it just means that I have to spoil you extra now" Sirius grinned at the pair,

"Hey, no problems there" Rose beamed, "We didn't exactly get spoilt before moving here",

Sirius' face frowned, "It was because of that walrus Vernon wasn't it",

"'fraid so" Harry nodded,

Sirius face contorted with anger for a moment before relaxing, "If it wasn't for that rat, I could have been there for the two of you, instead you had to live with that disgusting excuse for a man and his wife",

Harry placed a hand on his sisters and smiled softly at Sirius, "It's okay, we had each other. We made sure we were safe…for the most part",

"Yeah, I couldn't ask for a better brother" Rose added, "He always made sure I got enough food, even giving me his share sometimes",

A small tear left Sirius' eye as he walked over and embraced the two, "You truly are your parent's son Harry, and you truly are your parent's daughter Rose",

The two smiled softly at their godfather, returning the embrace. Before long, the three of them called it quits and retreated to Neverland as they let sleep overtake them. For Sirius, this was the first time in 10 years that he had slept on a proper bed. He was asleep faster than anyone else in the room, snoring like a lawnmower as he slept like a baby. Harry and Rose merely chuckled at their godfather before letting sleep overtake them as well.

Christmas eve was busy all round. The Evans were busy putting up decorations and the Christmas tree around the Evans home. The Weasleys were busy decorating the Burrow, including with their traditional gnome Christmas tree angel. Sirius in the meantime, had gone out to Diagon Alley to buy himself a new wardrobe and presents for everyone in thanks for his release. Thus, that is how Harry and Rose found themselves hanging tinsel all around the Evans house.

"Blimey, tinsel drives my nose crazy", Rose told her brother, "It's like it hates me or something",

"Nonsense, it's just because it's dusty" Harry told her,

"So you say, but what If I'm allergic to it?",

"I don't think you can be allergic to tinsel, I mean, it's plastic, isn't it?",

Rose shrugged, "I don't know, I suppose it is, but why can't I be allergic to it?",

Just as they were discussing the properties of tinsel, Juni walked into the longue room where they were hanging tinsel carrying a tray of sugar cookies, "How are those decorations coming along you two" She asked as the held out the tray for them, "Oh, you've done a wonderful job, it's beautiful!",

"Thanks Grandma, I think I'm allergic to the tinsel though" Rose said as she took a bite of a cookie,

Juni raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter, "Allergic to tinsel? Didn't know that was possible",

"Apparently so" Harry chucked,

Harry and Rose continued to decorate until the whole house was done around midday. The decided not to visit the Weasleys till later, suggesting that they would be too busy to entertain guests. Instead, they retreated to their room to wrap up some last-minute presents that they had gotten yesterday in Diagon Alley. Most notably was a book on the all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies, which Harry had gotten Ginny as a distraction present from her main present…the promise ring.

Before long, Sirius returned to the house and found the two siblings finishing up their wrapping. He looked like a changed man, with silky groomed hair and facial hair, well dressed, and eyes as bright as the sun,

"You know, your father did the same thing" Sirius told them, "Waiting till the last minute to wrap presents" he barked out a laugh,

Harry turned around and rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah padfoot. Lookin' good anyway",

"Yeah, you look fantastic, you actually look human" Rose joked,

Sirius laughed as he made his way over and ruffled Rose's hair, "You lot should head over to the Weasleys for a bit, I've got to wrap your presents" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at them,

"Alright, we'll head off then. We'll see you later" Harry called over his shoulder as he dragged Rose back downstairs, "See ya Sirius!" Rose called out.

Making their way to the longue room, Harry threw some foo powder into the fireplace before stepping in and whooshing away to the Burrow. He was greeted with decorations lining the walls and ceiling, as tinsel, baubles, wreaths and lights occupied the room. Ron noticed Harry coming out of the fireplace and went over to greet his friend,

"Hey mate, come to see the chaos, have you?" he joked,

Harry laughed as he clapped his friend over the shoulder, "Nah, Sirius just told us to scram so he can wrap presents apparently",

A sound behind them signalled the arrival of Rose, as she stumbled out of the fireplace, "I hate floo travel" She muttered,

The two boys chuckled at her, "Hey Rose, how's things your end" Ron asked,

Rose shrugged, "Not bad, nowhere near as decorated as here",

As they were chatting, Ginny bounded into the room with a box full of Christmas tree decoration, "Hey Ron I've got the…oh! Harry! Rose! What are you doing here?",

Rose smiled over at her friend, "We got kicked out for a bit, so we decided to Gatecrash your house"

"And by the look of it, you could use a hand" Harry added,

Ginny laid the box down on ground by the Christmas tree and went over to hug her best friend and her crush, the latter very gingerly.

"So, want to give us a hand with these decorations?" Ron asked,

Harry nodded his head, "Of course mate, what goes on first?",

Ginny took out a large roll of tinsel and handed it to Rose and Harry, "Tinsel first, then candles, then baubles and the other decorations",

"Oh no, not tinsel" Rose groaned, "My nose it going to explode",

Harry rolled his eyes as Ginny gave her friend a concerned look, "Why is your nose going explode?"

"My dear sister believes that she's allergic to tinsel" Harry explained,

"How can you be allergic to tinsel?" Ron interrupted,

Harry shrugged, "Dunno, ask her",

Rose just rolled her eyes, "Don't ask me, ask my nose",

"But Rose, we can't ask your nose, it doesn't have a mouth" Ginny joked,

As they were joking, the twins noticed that they had guests and joined them in the longue room,

"Oh no, look what the kneazle dragged in Fred," George said, "It looks like the Potters have come to help add to the chaos",

"It certainly looks like that dear brother of mine" Fred added, "Have you come to cause chaos and mayhem"

Harry and Rose rolled their eyes in unison, "No, we've come to help you dimwits, Sirius kicked us out to do presents" Rose explained,

Fred and George held their hands in surrender and mock pain, "Oh, dear little Rosey, you wound us!" Fred exclaimed,

"My heart, I don't think it can take much more Fred!" George added,

"You lot are terrible" Ginny said, "Now shut it and give us a hand will you",

The group of friends made room for the twins to come over and help as they set about decorating the Weasley family Christmas tree. At one point, Molly came in with a large tray of mince fruit pies, offering them to the kids, before retreating back to the kitchen for Christmas preparations. The Potters eventually made their way home before dinner time, but not before Harry snuck in another kiss to Ginny's cheek, causing them both to blush, thankfully only Rose saw the exchange and shared a knowing look with her brother.

They spent the night enjoying each-others company, enjoying a lovely meal that Juni had prepared. Alex and Sirius got on quite well, and enjoyed chatting to each-other about sports, both muggle and wizard. Eventually, Juni pushed the two Potters to bed as they would be having a long day tomorrow. Alex had cleared out a spare bedroom during the day, so Sirius could move into there, much to Rose's disappointment.

"Alright you lot, I'll see you both bright and early tomorrow morning" Sirius bad them goodnight from their doorway,

Harry gave his Godfather a hug, "See you in the morning Padfoot",

"Yeah, have a good sleep Uncle Padfoot" Rose joined in the embrace,

Sirius chuckled as he ruffled the twos hair before leaving them for his own bedroom. The Potters slept soundly that night, excited about the presents they would receive and the fun they'd have having their first proper Christmas.

The two Potters awoke early Christmas to the feel of a wet tongue on their cheeks. Rose and Harry's eyes sprung open immediately as the panicked over what could be licking them. What greeted them was a big shaggy, black Border Collie that had jumped up onto their bed. Confused, the two Potters looked at each other,

"Where the heck did this dog come from?" Rose asked her brother,

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he petted the dog behind the ears, "No idea, we should probably ask Gran. He's certainly a nice-looking dog",

The dog in question barked affirmatively, as if to say thank you for the comment. Making their way downstairs to the Kitchen, the dog followed them all the way.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" Harry called out from the doorway,

"Merry Christmas my dears!" Juni rushed over to embrace them both,

"Merry Christmas Grandma" Rose responded, returning the embrace,

"Merry Christmas Grandpa" Harry greeted his grandfather with an embrace,

Alex returned the embrace with a warm smile on his face, "Merry Christmas my boy",

Harry turned his attention now to the dog that was behind him, only to find Sirius standing in its place, "It was you! You cheeky bugger padfoot!" Harry called out,

Sirius chuckled as he went over to embrace his two godchildren, "Couldn't help myself, I thought it would hilarious to see your faces, and boy I wasn't wrong",

Rose slapped his arm playfully, "Sirius, you're terrible!"

The group returned to their seats as Rose and Harry took a seat next to Sirius and began to pile their plate full of food. The group discussed what was happening for the day, Juni explaining that they were going to have lunch over at the Weasley's before everyone came to the Evans house since they had the most room. Hermione and her Parents would be arriving in the afternoon, as would the Henderson's.

Thus, near midday, the group gathered up their presents for the Weasleys, thanks to Sirius who charmed a bag to fit the lot into, and made their way over to the Burrow. Although they would be opening their presents at the Evans later that night, the group still wanted to pass the presents off to their receivers first. Harry was immediately assaulted by a thick head of long red hair as Ginny came running up to greet him in a tight hug,

"Merry Christmas Harry!" She cried out as she crashed into him,

Harry grimaced as he felt himself getting crushed, before returning the embrace, "Merry Christmas Gin, could I maybe, you know, breath?" he joked,

Ginny released him with a sheepish smile as her brothers and Parents made their way into the longue room. The rest of the Evans and Sirius also made their way through the floo, allowing everyone to wish each other a merry Christmas. Before long, Molly shooed them off to the kitchen where the table had been magically extended and multiple chairs conjured for the guests that would be arriving.

Making his way to sit down next to Ginny and his sister, the group heard the fireplace spring to life once more as the Henderson's made their way out of the longue room,

"Merry Christmas you lot!" Lennox called out as he made his way into the kitchen,

The group called out their replies as Lennox and Alec made their way to the table and took a couple of seats,

"So, good Christmas so far you lot?" Alec asked his friends,

Harry and Rose nodded exuberantly, "Bloody brilliant" Harry told him, "Got our Godfather out of prison, and now we're about to have our first proper Christmas",

Ginny looked at Harry quizzically, "First proper Christmas?" she asked him,

Rose and Harry nodded, "Vernon and Aunt Petunia didn't exactly make Christmas…enjoyable. Most of the time they made us sit and watch them unwrap their presents, before making Christmas lunch and dinner"

"And if it wasn't satisfactory, we wouldn't get a morsel" Rose added,

Ginny puled Harry into an embrace as a couple of tears ran down her face, "Oh Harry, that sounds terrible"

Harry returned the embrace and patted her back lightly, "It's alright Gin, things are better now. Isn't that right Rose?",

Rose smiled at her friend and her brother, "Course it is, it's the best".

The group sat enjoyed each-others company as Molly and Juni began to serve up lunch. Around 1 in the afternoon, Hermione and her parents made their way to the Burrow, driving all the way from London. Harry, Rose and their friends went outside to greet their bushy haired friend, even though the ground was covered in ice and snow,

"Hey Hermione!" Harry called out from the doorstep,

Hermione bounced up to the doorway to hug her friends, Ron included, who turned very red in the face, "Merry Christmas everyone! Have you had a good Christmas so far?"

Alec nodded his head in reply, "Dad and I only just got here but it's going alright so far, foods on the table if you and your folks are hungry",

Hermione nodded her head, "I think I'm as hungry as Ron for once"

Everyone laughed at Hermione's comment, even Ron, as they led the Grangers into the kitchen were everyone greeted them, Arthur especially.

The group took their places, with the children at one end and the adults at the other, as Arthur sat talking with Alex and Richard about muggle technology and culture. Juni, Molly and Jean had taken to discussing their home lives, and in Jean's case, her work with her husband. Lennox and Sirius had joined the kids at one point and where joking about their time at Hogwarts. The group enjoyed themselves thoroughly as they ate and drank and talked well into the afternoon. Eventually, Molly and Juni got their attention and directed them to head to the Evans house via floo for the rest of the Christmas celebrations. Arthur stayed behind so that he could direct Bill and Charlie when they arrived by international portkey later in the afternoon.

The group made their way to the Evans dining room, where their large table easily sat the whole group. Molly, Juni and Jean all enlisted the help of the kids, and Lennox and Sirius, to help bring out food to the table. Before long they were stuffing themselves full once more as roasts of lamb, beef, pork and chicken were consumed, mince fruit pies and Christmas pudding, roast vegetables and gallons of gravy along with them. Before long, the whole group was stuffed beyond belief, even Sirius, who hadn't eaten a proper meal for many years, was finding it hard to fit his 5th serving in.

"Alright everyone, I think it's time for presents no?" Arthur called out from his end of the table,

The table erupted in agreement as chairs scraped against wood as the group made their way to the Evans longue room. Sirius, Lennox and Arthur had gone in beforehand to conjure a few more couches and chairs for everyone, as well as stack presents into their owner's piles. It seemed as though the two Potter's would be receiving the most this year. As they entered the longue room, the kids, minus Percy, hurried over to their piles and began to sort through them.

The adults found their own piles and began to unwrap along with their children. Harry looked at his pile and smiled at how many presents there were. He opened the first, which came from the Weasley elders. They had gotten him a lovely knitted hat along with a traditional Weasley sweater that Molly made personally. Harry's had a large H in gold stitched to the front of his Blue sweater. Harry called out his thanks before moving onto the next present, which was from his family. They had gotten him a set of muggle clothing, including new jeans, shirts and t-shirts to wear out and about.

Once again, thanking his family, Harry moved onto the individual presents from his friends. The twins had gotten him a bunch of fireworks and joke items, Percy, a personalized diary with snitches and other Quidditch items decorating the covers and pages. Bill and Charlie, who had arrived before dinner, had gotten him a book on old Roman spells and Curses, and a pair of Dragonhide seeker gloves. Ron had gotten his best friend a book on famous seekers throughout the ages, adding a page at the very end dedicated to Harry himself.

Hermione had gotten Harry a bunch of VCR's movies that Harry hadn't seen yet. Alec gave Harry a boomerang from Australia, and a book on Australian culture and history. Before moving onto Ginny and Rose's presents, Harry noticed a few from Hogwarts, including one from Dumbledore, Hagrid and most surprisingly McGonagall. Harry opened the one from Hagrid, revealing a lovely leather wallet which Hagrid explained had an undetectable charm on it and a lightening charm, thanks to professor Flitwick, alongside some rather fearsome looking fangs which Hagrid explained would bite off the fingers of any pickpockets. Unfortunately, it deemed Harry a pickpocket as well, as he had to quickly pull his fingers back before the fangs ripped his fingers off.

Moving onto the one from Dumbledore, Harry was almost brought to tears as he was presented with a number of items from his parents, including his parents head boy and girl pins. Treasuring them, he handed them to Sirius who smiled at the memory,

"Who'd have thought that a trouble maker like James would end up head boy, and married to the smartest witch of our year" Sirius mused,

Moving onto McGonagall's, Harry was surprised when it was revealed that she had gotten him a book on advanced transfiguration spells, with a note written into the front page,

 _Mr Potter,_

 _Merry Christmas,_

 _I know it is very queer for a professor to grant a student a present, however, being who you are, I thought little of it. Your father will always hold a special place in my heart, as shall your mother, and so shall you and your sister. Furthermore, your skill in transfiguration is exemplary, and thus I find it necessary to present you with a challenge._

 _Enjoy these spells, I look forward to seeing what you've learnt once you return,_

 _Yours,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

Harry smiled at the present from his head of house, before putting the book aside. Before Harry could move onto his next present, Sirius handed him another package which he was storing behind his back. Harry beamed at his godfather as he took it with thanks, "You didn't have to Sirius!"

Sirius waved his hand in dismissal, "Of course I did, I have to make up not being there all these years",

Harry chuckled at his godfather as he began to unwrap his present. Inside, Harry found a miniature, fully functioning Quidditch pitch board game, with 14 players and all. Exuberant, beamed at Sirius as he shouted out to Ron to take a look, "Hey mate! Look at this would you!",

Ron looked over in his friend's direction, spotting the pitch, "Wicked! We've gotta try that out later!",

Harry gave his mate a thumbs up as he moved onto his last two presents, Ginny and Rose's. Harry moved onto Ginny's present first, saving his sisters for last. Opening it up, he gasped at the photobook, and shed a tear as he looked inside to find it full of pictures that had been taken recently. There were photos of him and his friends at this birthday, whilst playing Quidditch at the Burrow, whilst walking around town with his family, and of course lots with Rose and himself. Harry smiled over at Ginny, mouthing a silent _thank you_ as she returned she a soft, warming smiling, mouthing _your welcome_ in return.

Moving onto his sisters, Harry opened it up slowly, only to reveal a small jewellery box. Opening it, Harry was presented with the lionheart pendant that Rose had gotten him that day in Diagon Alley. Harry slipped it through his fingers, smiling at his sister who had just opened her present from Harry.

Rose had gotten a very similar haul to her brother, receiving a jumper and hat from the Weasleys, a set of clothes from her family. Some fake joke jewellery from the twins as well as a love potion making book. A personalized diary from Percy featuring different flowers, graced with a red rose on the front. Ron had gotten her a bunch of sweets, and Hermione and Alec had gotten her a number of muggle and Australian treats respectively. Hagrid had sent her a purse much like Harry's with charms on it to lighten it and extend it…and fangs. Dumbledore had sent her a number of books of her mother's that he had, including her old textbooks in charms which had hand written notes in them.

Sirius had gotten her a lovely set of diamond studded earrings cut into the shapes of hearts. Ginny had gotten Rose a set of romance novels that she had mentioned to Harry at one point, suggesting that he had said something to her at one point. Moving onto her brothers, Rose excitingly opened the jewellery box that she unwrapped to be greeted by a lovely Claddagh style ring with rubies and emeralds set into the ring. Harry was just opening his own present from his sibling when Rose looked up at him.

Harry smiled and made his way over to his sister, "The pendent is amazing, thank you sis", He told her,

Rose smiled as she picked up the pendant which he and placed over his head already, "It symbolizes that you saved my life, and that you are noble and brave" She told him with a smile,

Harry smiled broadly as he laid a kiss on his sister's head, "Slip the ring on would you",

Doing as told, Rose slipped the ring onto her wedding finger, with the heart facing outwards to show she was still single, "it's lovely Harry, thank you so much" She smiled at him,

"Now I know this will be hard, but try really hard to feel scared or afraid, think about a horrible memory, and then look at the ring" Harry told her,

Rose gave her brother a strange look before she thought about the time she thought Harry was going to be taken away from her. Feeling dread and anxiety, Rose opened her eyes and looked down at her ring, which now displayed the words _'your protector always'_. A tear rolled down Rose's eye as hugged her brother,

"You will always be my protector, I love you Harry" She cooed into his ear,

Harry smiled as he hugged his sister back, "I love you too Rose, I'll always be there for you, no matter what",

With the presents done and dusted, the group began to pack away their gifts and make their way home. The Henderson's left first, using the Evans floo to head straight home, baying everyone goodnight. Next where the Weasleys and the Grangers, who had to drive home. Molly and Juni had both offered to let them stay the night, but Richard explained that they were spending time with his parents on boxing day.

As the Weasleys departed, Harry gave Rose a signal to get the other adults out of the room as he grabbed Ginny's hand just before she could head off.

"Just wait a bit would you Gin?" he asked softly,

Ginny nodded her head nervously, "S-sure Harry",

Rose, taking the meaning, asked the others in the Room to give her a hand with the dishes. As they left the room, Rose turned back to give her brother a wink before disappearing herself.

Leading Ginny over to one of the couches, Harry pulled out the small jewellery box that held the promise ring, and handed it to Ginny, "Merry Christmas Gin, I wanted to give this to you alone"

Ginny eyed the box anxiously as she slowly opened it. She gasped as she looked at the Claddagh ring with rubies set in the ring. Harry took the ring from her and slipped it onto her wedding finger, once again angling it so that it made her appear single.

"Why don't you give it a kiss?" Harry suggested,

"A-a Kiss?" Ginny stuttered,

Harry nodded his head, encouraging her on. Slowly, Ginny brought the ring up to her mouth and kissed it softly, pulling her hand back, trying to avoid Harry's eyes. Slowly but surely, words began to appear on the ring, _'Forever or never'_ to be exact. Ginny gasped as she looked at the words now forming,

"Ever since I met you I've been drawn to you. I had no idea what it was at first, but now I do." Harry told her, "Ginny, I care about you deeply and this ring is a promise ring, which means it can either be a symbol of our friendship which will last forever, or…it can symbolise that one day we will be together, and that is a promise",

By this stage, Ginny was bright red, and had a couple of tears streaming down her face. She looked at Harry with soft eyes as she gently leaned in, stopping a couple of inches from his face to close her eyes before laying a soft, chaste kiss on his lips, her bottom lip sitting flush against Harry's. The kiss caused Harry's eyes to widen before he closed his eyes and sank into it, causing a small moan to come through Ginny's throat. Pulling back, both bright red in the face, Harry coughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. Sensing his discomfort, Ginny took his hand in hers and squeezed.

"Thank you, Harry, thank you so much. It's wonderful" She told him with a smile as she pulled her hand back.

Harry's lips were tingling with excitement as he smiled goofily at her. Standing up, Harry led Ginny back over to the fireplace, throwing some more floo powder into the fireplace for her, before wrapping her into a tight hug and baying her goodnight,

"Goodnight Gin, I'll see you tomorrow yeah?" Harry asked hopefully,

Ginny gave him a nod and a smile as she retreated into the fireplace, "Goodnight Harry, thank you for everything…you wonderful boy",

And with that, Ginny whooshed off to the Burrow, leaving Harry alone with a big goofy grin on his face. A voice clearing its throat behind him broke him from his trance. Turning around, Harry smiled at Rose, who was leaning against the doorframe.

"Went well then did it?" She asked him,

Harry nodded his head as he made his way over to his sister, "It did indeed" He told her, "I tell you what Rose, this has to be the best Christmas ever",

"That it is big brother, that it is".


	10. Remus

**Back to school, Nicholas Flamel, Moony: Chapter 10**

For Harry, Hermione, Ron and Alec, the date for the recommencement of school was fast approaching. The group of friends had enjoyed the last few days of their holidays, especially New Year's, which saw the return of the Grangers, and Hermione to the Burrow for a traditional New Year's Eve party. The three boys along with the twins, enjoyed scratch Quidditch matches whenever the weather permitted. Before long, the 2nd of January arrived and the group of friends found themselves being rushed off to Kings Cross Station once again by their parents and grandparents. Once again, Rose and Ginny wished their brothers a teary goodbye as they ran along the tracks, waving frantically as the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station.

The group of friends found themselves a compartment to themselves, and set about discussing their plans for the rest of the year, "We need to find out who Nicholas Flamel is! We've had all of Christmas to look and we've had no luck at all" Hermione chided them.

Harry nodded his head as he responded, "I think we need to go and have another look in the library, see what we can find",

"But where, it's gonna be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!" Ron exclaimed,

Before they could continue, the food trolley Witch came around offering snacks, "Anything off the trolley dears?" She asked sweetly.

"Just some chocolate frogs and Berty Bots Jelly beans for me please" Harry told her,

Hermione shook her head, "Nothing for me thanks",

"Some liquorice wands for me thanks", Ron added,

"Lemon sherbet for me thanks" Alec finished.

Handing out the sweets, the trolley Witch made her way along the train, leaving the foursome to their conversation again. The group ate their sweets in peace, beginning a game of exploding snap as they finished up their treats. Harry was just examining his second Dumbledore card when a name popped up at him like a slap in the face.

"GUYS! I found Nicholas Flamel!" Harry exclaimed,

Hermione snapped her head towards Harry and jumped over to his side of the compartment, grabbing the card from him, "Incredible, how did I not think of it before! Nicholas Flamel is an alchemist!"

By now, Ron and Alec had joined Hermione, peering over her shoulder as they too examined the card.

"So now we know what we're looking for, we can head to the library and have a looksie" Alec added.

The group continued their discussion all the way up to Hogwarts, where upon they were greeted by Hagrid who directed them to the horseless carriages for the first time. The foursome hopped into one, making room for Neville who had been left out of another carriage.

"Hey you guys, have a good Christmas?" he asked the group,

Harry gave Neville a smirk, "Yeah not bad, turns out Sirius Black is my godfather and was innocent, so he's out of Azkaban now",

Neville's eyes widened, "Merlin, and I thought going off to the winter flower show was exciting!"

The group chuckled at the other Gryffindor as they moved into a steady chat as they made their way up to the castle. Once more they entered the Great Hall where Dumbledore and the other staff greeted them back to school before the famous Hogwarts feast appeared before them. They chatted amongst themselves as students swapped stories of the different goings on at their homes during Christmas. Dean spent time with his Muggle relatives, having to lie about where he went to school. Seamus stayed with his parents throughout Christmas, popping over to Scotland to celebrate Hogmanay.

Before long the group found themselves being ushered to bed. The foursome stayed up for a while, chatting amongst themselves before Hermione departed for the girl's dorms, and the boys for their room respectively. It didn't take long for the first years to succumb to sleep, all except Harry, who laid awake in his bed. Unable to sleep, Harry decided to break out his dad's invisibility cloak and go for a wander to clear his head. Heading out of the portrait hole, Harry began his midnight stroll along the deserted halls of Hogwarts.

He decided that maybe tonight would be a night to check out the library for anything on Nicholas Flamel. He suspected that the restricted section might have something on him, being a potion master. That's how Harry found himself wandering into the library late that night, lantern in hand. Slowly he edged his way into the restricted section, browsing the books titles, finding some of them quite gruesome. Stopping to open one of the books, a horrible screech poured out from the pages of the tome. Panic overtook Harry as he knocked over his lantern, shattering the glass.

From around the corner, the tell-tale signs of Filch began to funnel towards Harry. Making a run for it, Harry slowly moved passed the oblivious Filch, who began to search for the missing student, "We'll get them this time my sweets" he told Mrs Norris who was circling his legs.

Making his way out of the library, Harry thought it best to lay low for a while, lest be caught making his way back to the tower at this time of night. Slipping into one of the classrooms, Harry was presented with an empty room, save for the pile of old chairs and desks in one corner…and an old mirror in the middle. Harry made his way over to the mirror, reading the edge of it,

' _Erised stra ehru oy tube cafru oyt on wohsi'_

Harry couldn't decipher the message, thinking it to be another language. Harry was about to turn on his heels and walk out of the room when his breath hitched. In front of him where three people he was very familiar with, at least, the pictures of them. Before him, in the mirror, stood himself, flanked by both his mother and father, and his baby sister to his side. Next to him, opposite the side his sister took, was Ginny, smiling brightly, her warm chocolate eyes bright with mischief. More people began to appear behind him, all sharing certain features with him and Rose. Harry knew it had to be an illusion, as Rose was back at home, sleeping soundly, the same with Ginny, who was at the Burrow with her parents. Peering behind him, Harry was greeted with darkness. His mother smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively he placed a hand on his shoulder as to grip hers, meeting only his own shoulder.

Harry stood there for a number of minutes, examining the way his mother's eyes would twinkle, or how his father's mouth would smile. He saw a different look behind Rose's eyes, one that was pure and innocent, untouched by the rough upbringing they suffered. He looked to his grandparents, recognizing his grandmother Juni and grandfather Alex, along with his father's parents who he had no memory of or name to put to the face. Behind them the line went on in both directions, as Evans and Potters stretched for miles.

Harry felt that for once in his life, he had found a piece of his family that was real, evidence that the Potters and Evans lived before this time, that they were known and profound amongst the wizarding and muggle worlds. Harry wondered if he had any cousins, excluding Dudley, even if they were just distant.

A door opening behind him out of his trance as a familiar professor stepped into the room, "Hello Harry, I see your father's cloak is coming in handy" Professor Dumbledore greeted him,

"Professor! I'm sorry! I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd go for a walk" Harry replied in fear,

Dumbledore gave the boy a warm smile before coming over to his side, "It is quite alright my dear boy, curiosity gets the better of us all. I see who have found the mirror of Erised, and I'm assuming you understand what it does by now?",

Harry nodded at his professor, "Yes sir, it shows us what we most desire, for me…it's my whole family…" Harry purposely left out the fact that Ginny was there too. He had no desire to share that for now.

A small tear escaped his eye as Harry tore his eyes away from the Mirror. Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "My dear boy, the mirror does indeed show us our deepest desires. Myself for example, I can see myself holding a pair of nice warm socks",

Harry raised an eyebrow up at the professor, "Socks? Really Sir?",

"Yes Harry, socks" Dumbledore chuckled, "Nobody ever thinks to give someone a nice warm pair of socks for Christmas, instead they give you expensive treats and books". Harry missed the long and deep look Dumbledore gave the mirror, as he returned to it. Instead, Harry chuckled along with his professor as he returned to looking at the mirror. His parents and sister smiled at him as he looked them all in the eye, before turning away one last time.

"I think it would be best if this was moved somewhere else, don't you think Harry?"

"Yes sir, that sounds like a good idea",

Before Harry could let his headmaster reply, he turned and looked at him once more, "Professor, how did you know I was here?"

The old professor gave a knowing smile, "You're not the only one that can be invisible Harry, it just so happens that I do not require that rather magical cloak of yours".

Harry accepted this answer and smiled up at his headmaster. Dumbledore smiled back at the young Gryffindor before leading him out of the classroom door. He escorted the young Potter back to Gryffindor tower, baying him goodnight as Harry made his way through the portrait hole. Making his way back upstairs, Harry crashed onto his mattress, falling asleep within seconds, dreaming about what life could have been with his parents. The thoughts of running around in a garden with his sister when they were young, or going out on adventures with his father or mother, learning to ride a bike, tie his shoe laces, the list went on. Harry and Rose never had a normal upbringing, many would say they grew up too fast, that Harry and Rose were no longer children, just adults in children's bodies. Harry thought he agreed with that thought, knowing full well that neither he nor his sister had a chance to enjoy the surreal feeling of childhood.

The idea that Ginny was there alongside his family brought a funny sensation to his heart once more. His feelings for the youngest Weasley had expanded exponentially since he gave her the promise ring at Christmas. It was strange, Harry thought, that he hadn't even known Ginny for a year but the idea of not having her in his life scared him. His heart swelled and expanded as he thought about her long fiery mane of hair, or her warm chocolate eyes, so full of emotion and love. Love. It was a word he only ever used to describe his feelings for Rose and more recently his Grandparents. Maybe he did love Ginny, it was odd to think that he did, but in a way, it made sense, it even felt right. Harry didn't know what to think, all he knew was that he was exhausted from thinking to much, and needed his sleep.

The next morning found the Gryffindor's once more thrusted into the fray of the school year, as the group of students began to learn what they needed to know for their exams later on in the year. Professor McGonagall had asked Harry if he had any time to learn any of the advanced transfiguration spells in the book she gifted him,

"So, Mr Potter, any luck with those new spells" McGonagall asked at the end of the transfiguration lesson.

"Yes Professor, I managed to change a bird into a goblet, although I haven't really had a chance to look at it fully yet" Harry told her,

The stern professor merely smiled, "Very good Mr Potter, I didn't expect you to have even looked at it yet. I look forward to seeing what you can do later on", and with that, the professor dismissed Harry to his next lesson, potions.

Snape seemed to be in a particularly sour mood that morning, picking on most of the Gryffindor's, all except Harry, who he kept civil with. Snape had set them on the task of creating a potion of growth that would help grow whatever plants you poured it on. Harry and Hermione were doing quite well, unfortunately for the rest of the class however, the instructions seemed to be less clear. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione and Harry's groups had managed to secure a worthy enough potion to be tested. Snape showed no emotion as the two groups handed in their work.

"Mr Potter…see me after class" Snape told Harry as he handed in his potion,

Harry nodded in affirmative as he went back to his desk to start packing up. As the others left the dungeon classroom, the Slytherins whispering excitedly, Harry made his way up to the professors desk, "What would you like to see me about Sir?"

"Mr Potter, your work today was…exceptional."

"Thank you, sir, but I just followed the instructions" Harry replied sheepishly,

Snape raised his eyebrow, "You may have done so…however…the majority of the class did likewise. You, Mr Potter, showed intuition where it was needed. Well done"

Harry blushed as he nodded his head, "Thank you sir",

"You may go now Mr Potter, keep up the good work" Snape bayed him farewell.

Harry met up with the rest of his friends in the Great Hall, where they were waiting for him anxiously.

"All good mate?" Alec asked him,

Harry nodded "Yeah, never better. Snape just gave me another compliment so can't be all bad",

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, "Ron and I did just a good a job with our potion and he didn't praise us, he must really like you Harry",

Harry shrugged, "Maybe, I'm not gonna complain though",

Hermione rolled her eyes before she drew their attention back to her, "We need to go to the library after lunch and search for anything on Nicholas Flamel"

Ron nodded, his mouth full of food, "Shounds 'ike a go' 'dea" He spat,

Hermione gave him a disgusted look, "Ronald, don't speak with your mouth full!",

Ron merely rolled his eyes as he continued to eat. Seamus, Dean and Neville found themselves joining the other Gryffindor's as they began to talk amongst themselves about the potions lesson. Everyone could agree that Snape had a soft spot for Harry, who tried to brush it off as being well prepared and reading his whole textbook. Ron and Alec pointed out that Hermione did the exact same thing and did just as well if not better, and didn't receive any special attention.

"Look, I don't know why he 'likes' me, he just does. Is it really that bad if it's stopping Gryffindor from losing points, and actually gaining some?" Harry lashed out,

Most of the group nodded their head in agreement. Anything was better than losing more points for your house. Eventually the group finished their lunches and made their way to the library to do more research on Nicholas Flamel. Hermione set them about the different sections to look in that would or could be relevant. Ron, Alec and Harry gave in before long and headed back to their table in defeat.

"How the Bloody hell are we supposed to find this bloke anyway!" Ron sighed,

Harry shrugged, "Beats me, I'm sure Hermione will find something",

"Speak of the devil" Alec added,

Hermione made her way over with a large book in her hands, "I thought I'd seen the name somewhere, I took this out a few weeks ago for a bit of light reading" She told the group.

"You call that light reading!" Ron exclaimed,

Hermione shot him a dirty look as she began to flip through the pages. As they were looking through, they were interrupted by the large figure of none other than Hagrid,

"Hello Hagrid! What brings you in here?" Harry asked him as he passed,

Hagrid looked around suspiciously as he held a book behind his back, "Ah, yeh kno', jus' some books on the wee beasties in the forest" he told them,

Harry nodded his head as the groundskeeper slowly walked away nervously, leaving without saying goodbye,

"That was a bit sus, wasn't it?" Ron said,

Alec nodded, "You can say that again, wonder what he's up to",

Ron agreed, and got up to go look in the section Hagrid had just been in. Hermione continued to search through the book, eventually stopping on a page to read an extract. Ron returned soon with another book,

"Dragons! He was in the section for dragons!" Ron exclaimed excitingly,

"Dragons? You don't think he's finally nicked one, do you?" Harry asked,

Ron shrugged, "Who knows, but whatever he's doing, it's bound to be dangerous and involve some sort of dangerous magical creature".

Suddenly, Hermione called out above the group, "I've got it! Nicholas Flamel is the only known inventor and possessor of the philosopher's stone, an item which can create the elixir of life, allowing someone to life forever, or at least to a very old age. Nicholas himself Is over 600 years old along with his wife"

Harry and the two other boys peered over Hermione's shoulder to read the page she was on, nodding and humming at the new information.

"So, whoever is after the stone here is trying to live forever basically!" Alec said,

Hermione nodded, "I think that's a safe bet as to why they want it",

The group sat there in silence for a bit before Harry spoke up, "Well, we have to do what we can to protect the stone, no matter what",

The group nodded in agreement as Hermione went to put the book back in the section it belonged in. The rest of the day was spent in their afternoon classes, DADA and charms, before finally the day ended and the group made their way back to the Great Hall for supper. In the middle of their feast, Hagrid strode over to them,

"'Ello you lot, I twas wonderin' if yeh could come down to mine tomorrow at some stage?"

Harry nodded at him, "Sure Hagrid, what for though?".

Hagrid started to look around shadily, "Nothin', nothin', just thought yeh'd like to come down tis all",

"We'll be there Hagrid" Hermione told him.

"Good, good. Alright then you lot, best I head back to the staff table", Hagrid bayed them farewell,

"Tomorrow would be a good time to question what he's up to" Alec told the group,

Ron nodded, "Agreed, if he's lookin' at dragons, blimey who knows what he's doing".

"Let's hope he doesn't stuff fluffy and a dragon together in that room, half the castle might burn down" Harry joked,

Ron chuckled at his best mates joke, "Think of it this way, they might just knock each other off and save us the work!"

Hermione wrapped Ron's knuckle with a spoon, "Ron! That's very cruel of you to say!",

"It was only a joke" Ron rolled his eyes and rubbed his knuckles, "Don't get too worked up",

Giving him a scathing look, Hermione returned to her dinner in peace. Before long they were finishing up and heading to bed, making sure they were ready for a long day of classes and possibly a dragon the next day.

Thus, the young Gryffindor's found themselves making their way back down to Hagrid's the next day after lunch. Trudging across the school grounds, the group couldn't spy Hagrid outside of his hut, so they assumed he would be inside. Walking up to the hut, Harry knocked on the door, only to be greeted by the door opening almost immediately.

Hagrid stood in the doorway looking proud as punch as Fang raced around at his feet, "Calm down would yeh, silly mutt, hello 'arry, 'mione, Ron, Alec, come on in, want a cuppa?"

Harry nodded as he followed Hagrid in, "Yes please Hagrid",

Making their way into Hagrid's hut and taking a seat at the table, they helped themselves to Hagrid's rock solid…rock cakes. Hagrid brought over a pot of tea and served them out a cup each.

"So how's yeh week back at school been?" Hagrid asked the group,

"Yeah 'spose it hasn't been too bad" Ron answered.

Hermione shot him a look, "It's been fine Hagrid, Professor McGonagall is teaching us how to transfigure fruit into rocks and vice versa".

"Sounds fantastic, glad yeh lot are enjoyin' yehselves" Hagrid beamed at them,

Harry nodded as he looked around the room for anything new, noticing suddenly the large black egg sitting in the firepit.

"Hagrid…what exactly is that?" Harry asked pointing to the large egg,

"That 'arry, is a dragon egg! Won it in a card game down at the Hogshead other night. Come to think of it, the bloke was quite 'appy to give the egg away",

The group of first years looked around at each other with worried looks, "Hagird…aren't dragons illegal to keep?" Hermione asked,

Hagrid's eyes started to dart around the room, "Oh, eh, I 'spose they might be",

"Hagrid mate, you can't keep a bloody dragon, your house it's made of wood!" Alec exclaimed,

Hagrid waved a hand lazily in defence, "Nah, what harm could 'appen, it'll know who it's mummy is",

"Hagrid, you never know what kind of dragon it could be" Ron said, "It could be a Hungarian horntail for all we know!"

Hagrid looked back at the egg with a bit of worry, "Could be a Welsh green too, never kno'",

The group gave up trying to reason with the half giant, and instead sat there in peace discussing their classes and everything else that had happened to them whilst over the Christmas holidays. About an hour after they arrived, they decided to head back in order to grab a bit of actual food instead of rock cakes, before they headed to the last half of the day of classes.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

On the other side of the country, young Rose Potter was walking up to the feeling of a wet, slopping tongue on her cheek as a big black shaggy dog straddled her sleeping body.

"Ughh, go away Padfoot!" She lazily waved her hand to whack his nose away,

Sirius hopped off of Rose in his animagi form before turning back and sitting beside her on the bed, "Come on little Rose, time to get up, we've got places to see and people to annoy!"

Rose batted his arm lightly as she rolled over and went back to sleep. Sirius, not one to give up easily, pulled the sheets off her with force, "get up you lazy sod, there's breakfast downstairs",

Rose turned over, fury in her eyes as she shot Sirius a scathing look, "You old mutt, I'll get you for this!"

Sirius chuckled as he ruffled her hair as she got up to take a shower, "That I have no doubt about, now get your arse into gear and hurry downstairs!" he called out the last part as she shut the bathroom door in his face.

Rose had been taking Harry's second departing a lot better than the first, knowing full well he'd be back soon, and then she would be departing with him to Hogwarts instead of staying cooped up with her family. Although not technically a blood relative, Sirius felt more like an uncle that she never had then a family friend. Even a father figure almost, although her grandfather did a good job at that as well. Both men would be there for her to lean on, or to cry on, as she had when Harry left.

Making her way out of the shower to get changed, Rose noticed that she still hadn't dealt with her father's wand, which laid on Harry's nightstand. Grabbing it, Rose decided that she could offer it to the next best thing to a father, Sirius.

Finding him sitting down at the table, Rose took the seat next to him, turning around to face him, "Sirius, the wand you have now, is it yours?" she asked him,

Taken aback by Rose's question, Sirius recovered quickly, "No it's not, it's just a spare that the ministry gave me when they set me free. No, my wand was snapped when they imprisoned me",

Rose took out her father's wand from her pocket and laid it next to Sirius, whose eyes widened at the sight of it, "Is…is that Jamie's wand?" He asked her, knowing full well it was,

Rose nodded her head slowly, "It is, I want you to have it. Harry wanted to mount it but I think he'd agree it's much better suited to being used by its owner's best friend",

A tear slid down Sirius cheek as he picked up his dead best friend's wand. A mild warmth flowed through his hand as a sliver of red sparks shot out from the front.

"I think it likes you" Rose joked,

Sirius chuckled softly as he gave the wand a swoosh and summed the packet of cereal from the other end of the table.

"Sirius, I think you deserve it more than anyone, I know you'll use it well" Rose told him as she placed a hand on his,

Sirius could merely smile as he studied the wand in front of him. Many a time he had been on the receiving end of a jinx by James as the two would duel and prank one another. Sirius never thought that he would one day be holding his best friend's wand and calling it his own. Snapping out of his reminiscing, Sirius turned to Rose and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Thank you, so much little Rose, I'll make sure to put it to good use" He thanked her, "Now, eat up, we have a big day ahead, and I must spoil you now that you've done this",

Rose beamed at him as she grabbed a slice of toast and eggs, "Does that mean a pony?" She joked,

Sirius let out a barking laugh, "Good try little Rose, I would but I think you might need a stable first"

Juni perked her head up at the mention of stable, "Now that you mention it, we could do with some horses around here, always helpful to cross the fields when they're muddy"

Rose beamed at her grandmother as she thought about receiving a pony, every little girl's dream. Juni gave her granddaughter a warm smile, "I'll talk to your grandpa when he gets back from the fields about building one. I'm sure the boys from the village wouldn't mind giving a hand",

Sirius nodded his head, "I'm happy to lend a hand as well, and I'm sure Harry and his mates would be too",

"It sounds like a summer project then, plenty of time to plan and grab supplies" Juni added,

For the rest of the morning, all that was passed around the table was chatter of ponies and what kind they should buy. Rose was determined to buy a Shetland pony, if not to use then as a pet. Juni brushed off the idea for now, saying that they needed to be helpful in order to stay there on the farm. Sirius knew that if he let it happen, the two of them would sit there and discuss ponies until the cows came home. So, with little subtly, Sirius ruffled Rose's hair and told her it was time to go,

"Come on little Rose, let's head off, got a long way to travel first",

Rose nodded in understanding, getting up and bidding her Grandmother goodbye. Walking to the front porch, Sirius and Rose wondered up the road until they were safely out of the wards that had been placed on the house by professor Dumbledore.

"Now, I need you to take my arm Rose, and hold on tight" Sirius told her,

Doing as she was told, Rose wrapped an arm around Sirius' and held on as tight as she could. Taking his new wand out, Sirius closed his eyes, and before long, Rose felt a tugging sensation as if she was being squeezed from both sides and darkness overtook her. Mere moments later, light returned to Rose as she opened her eyes to the scene in front of her. Lining the road, they stood by were countless rows of terraced, old industrial age workers cottages.

"How are you feeling? Not many people feel too good after their first apparation" Sirius asked,

Rose shook her head, "I'm a little dizzy, but not bad overall"

"Good" Sirius responded, "Come on, we've an old friend to visit",

Taking Rose's hand, Sirius led her up the road. The streets were coated in a black dust, most likely coal dust from a nearby coal mine. Old cars lined the street and houses looked rundown and in terrible condition. Once in a while they'd pass one which looked decent, but not many. Eventually they arrived out front of what had to be one of the better-looking cottages on the street. The fence was in good shape, the brickwork looked well kept, and all the windows were still intact.

Stepping up to the door, Sirius rapt his knuckles on the door a few times, bringing hushed noises from the inside as someone shuffled to get to the door. Opening the door, Rose was met by a shaggy dressed man with mattered hair, unkept stubble, with holes in many of his clothes. The man's eyes widened first in fear, then pain and finally excitement as a broad smile spread onto his face,

"Sirius! What are you doing here!" the man asked,

Sirius walked up to the man and embraced him, "Hello Remus, old friend, it's been too long"

Remus returned the embrace, opening his eyes, he looked down at Rose, making his eyes widen, "That's…that's not little Madeline-Rose is it…Lily and James's little girl!"

Rose smiled up at Remus, "I prefer just Rose, but yes, I am the very same Rose Potter, sister of the tragic moron known as Harry Potter",

Both Remus and Sirius let out a laugh as Remus leaned down to embrace the young Potter, "It has been so…so many years since I last saw you. You were barely a baby when I last saw you".

Rose returned the embrace, "It's nice to meet you Remus, or should it be uncle Remus?" Rose smirked,

Remus smiled at her as he stood back up from the embrace, "Remus is fine, or Moony if you wish",

Rose gave him a puzzled look, "Why Moony? Is your animagi a wolf?"

Remus gave her a quizzical look before turning to Sirius, "You didn't tell them then?"

Sirius shook his head, "Lennox told them of the marauders being animagi, but he just said you were a wolf",

Remus nodded, "Lennox Henderson I assume?". Sirius nodded, "Well then, I guess I should tell you. Rose, I'm a werewolf" Remus told her,

Rose looked surprised by the reply, "You certainly don't look like one",

Remus chuckled at the young girl, "No, no I suppose I don't look like a stereotypical werewolf. No, I only change on the full moon, otherwise I share no different properties then regular wizards and witches."

Rose nodded her understanding, "How did you become a werewolf?" she asked,

A look of remorse and sadness filled Remus, "it's a long story. But where are my manners! Please, you both must come in for tea at the very least!"

Rose and Sirius followed Remus into his neat but still rather scraggily home. Bits of old beige wallpaper had started to come off the walls, and the wooden floorboards had small chips and holes in some, others had lost nails and were protruding from the floor. Not many paintings or pictures hung in the house, the only one Rose could see was a medium sized portrait which she recognized as that of the order of the Phoenix. Remus lead them into a small sitting space just off the main hallway, which was filled with a couple of old, dusty burgundy coloured couches. Taking a seat on one besides Sirius, Rose began to look around the room, which was filled with a few bookshelves which contained spell books and adventure novels.

Remus re-entered the room with a pot of tea and a small plate of biscuits on a tray for them all to enjoy, sitting them on an older looking coffee table which had seen better days. Pouring out a cup for each of his guests, Remus passed off the cups before taking a seat with his own on the other couch.

"Sirius, I'm so glad you managed to finally get off after all these years" Remus smiled softly at him, "I always found it hard to believe that you of all people betrayed Lily and James",

Sirius smiled broadly at his old friend, "I'm out now, and that's all that matters, I've got two little godchildren to look after now"

"I remember when you were just born Rose, how proud your father was to finally have a daughter to care for" Remus smiled softly at her,

Rose blushed from embarrassment, "Is this the part where you tell me I look like mum except for my eyes?"

Remus and Sirius chuckled softly, "Yes I suppose it is that part indeed" Remus told her, "Tell me, how is your brother, I always meant to find you but…",

Rose put her hand up to silence him, "It's fine Remus, by the look of things you certainly had more important things to do then to visit us." Rose told him, "And Harry is just dandy, although his ego needs a check",

Remus gave rose a wan smile, "I think Sirius and I would both agree that we have a lot of making up to do"

'That we do my friend" Sirius told him, "That we do",

"So what house did Harry get sorted into then?" Remus asked Rose,

Rose took a sip of her tea before replying, "Gryffindor, did you expect any less" She grinned,

"No, I suppose not, both of you are going to be ruling the school if James' blood got into both of you enough" Remus chuckled,

"Lennox already told me that Harry was better than Jamie when it came to flying, so I think we have worthy marauder material to work with" Sirius grinned,

The rest of the conversation was spent talking about what Harry and Rose had been up to in the last 10 years. It was insightful to both Sirius and Remus to hear about what their best friend's children had gone through since that fateful night. Remus was appalled at the behaviour of Vernon, but relieved that the Evans had managed to take them in. Remus always did have a soft spot for the Evans, Juni especially, who had Lily's bright happy attitude. Before long, Sirius was busying Rose along to get back home in time for dinner. Sirius had invited Remus to join them, saying that the Evans would be more than happy to include him. Remus accepted, although gingerly, still not use to large scale human interaction.

Flooing back to the Evans home, Remus reunited himself with the Evans, who were happy to see the old werewolf again. Juni especially was quite thrilled to see Remus again, always having a soft spot for the little boy who had suffered so much but still pushed himself to succeed in school. Once reintroductions were concluded, Rose dragged Remus off to show him around the house, including her and Harry's room where she showed him pictures of Harry and his friends,

"My, he does look like James…except…"

"The eyes…I know, he gets that a lot" Rose finished for Remus,

Remus smiled down at the girl before looking around at the other photos', "And that must be the Weasley clan, Molly always did look like her brothers, such a shame they didn't see the end of the war",

Molly's brothers Fabian and Gideon had perished during the first wizarding war, but not without going down without a fight, taking a number of death eaters along with them. To this day Molly still mourned them from time to time, most likely causing her to be the over protective mother she is.

"Is that James' little boy Alexander is it?" Remus asked pointing at Alec,

Rose nodded her head, "Yeah, him and Ron and Harry are thick as thieves along with Hermione, the bushy haired girl there"

Remus shock his head lightly, "The poor family, they went through hell after the war",

"What do you mean? What happened?" Sirius asked his friend,

Remus spun around to face him, "What do you mean" He said, "Didn't Lennox tell you?",

"Tell me what?" Sirius started to get frustrated,

Remus sighed before taking a seat on Rose and Harry's bed, "About, 4 years ago…Vivian and Gabrielle were killed by a rogue wizard. Just a nobody with a grudge against society. They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were just two out of five who were killed during the attack."

Sirius shock his head in disbelief, unable to believe the words that came out of his friend's mouth, "You mean, they're gone? His little girl and wife?"

Remus nodded his head solemnly, "Alec never told us any of this, that's horrible" Rose added,

"I can assume that neither of them really like talking about it, even after all these years" Remus told them,

The group chatted amongst themselves solemnly, discussing the life of these two individuals Rose never met or would ever meet. She felt a twang of sympathy go out to Alec, knowing full well how it felt to lose a parent, or in her case two. She was just lucky that she never knew the difficulty of losing a sibling. She couldn't imagine her life without Harry, all he did for her, protecting her and making her laugh, being her best friend. He was everything to her, and she couldn't even imagine what it would be like to live without him. Before long however, her thoughts were interrupted as Remus made his way back downstairs in order to floo back to his home. Sirius and Juni both offered for him to stay the night, and Rose offered him her bed, saying she'd sleep on a camper bed, but Remus politely declined, saying he had to be home so he could go out and seek work early in the morning.

Sirius was worried for his friend, knowing full well that werewolves were not popular in the community, and living as one would be incredibly difficult. He knew then that he would have to get Remus a job somehow, and even slip him some money from his own account so that at the very least he could get a new wardrobe.

Before long, Rose found herself saying goodnight to her family and departing for her room for the night. She quickly penned a letter to her brother, telling him of her day before sending it off with her owl Zeus. Zeus hadn't seen much action delivering letters since Hedwig was always happy to stay around and wait for her reply, but Harry hadn't sent a letter along this morning so there was no Hedwig. Zeus was happy for the task however, finally departing on a long-haul journey instead of just to the Burrow where he delivered Rose's letters to Ginny.

Opening the window for her owl, Rose gave Zeus a light kiss to his head before letting him go off into the night her the letter to her brother grasped tightly in his talons. Closing the window and making her way over to her bed, Rose hopped in with a thud, barely having time to turn off the lights before sleep overcame her and sent her off to Neverland.


	11. Norbet

**Norbet, Detention, the sisterhood: Chapter 11**

For Harry and his friends, the school year continued as winter broke into spring and the days began to heat up once more. The foursome spent most of their time revising for their classes or playing magical games together and with their other friends in the common room. Some nights they snuck out into the castle grounds to explore, coming across a trove of hidden rooms and passages which would come in handy during the day time when the foursome had to get to class quickly. Harry continued to progress well in his classes, and continued to impress Wood with his seeker skills in the practices that they had. The next Quidditch match for Gryffindor was against Hufflepuff, who reportedly had a new seeker themselves, a fourth year known as Cedric Diggory.

Wood was confident that Harry would catch the snitch, but still stressed the importance of Harry catching it as early as possible since apparently Snape was to referee the match due to Madam Hooch being unavailable. Whilst Snape may have been on civil if not down-right friendly terms with the young Potter, he still showed animosity to the other Gryffindor's and favoured his house's, Slytherin, team.

"Harry, whatever you do, you must catch the snitch as quickly as possible, otherwise Snape will deduct as many penalties against us as possible" Wood was telling Harry as they made their way down to training, "Snape knows that Gryffindor is Slytherins only obstacle in the way of the Quidditch cup",

Harry nodded his head in understanding as his captain lectured him, "don't worry, the puffs don't have a chance against us" Harry joked, "Besides, I think old Snapey still has a soft spot for me",

"Be it as it may, he still wants Slytherin to win the cup, so I don't think any amount of Potter charm is going to work" Wood smirked,

The training went as well as anyone would expect, with the team working in perfect clockwork as always. Harry practiced his skills of going out and catching the snitch, getting faster and faster with the times in between catching the small golden orb and releasing it again before catching it once more. Before long, the day of the match arrived and the group of Gryffindor Quidditch players made their way down to the pitch. Conditions were perfect for flying, and everyone was looking forward to  
the nice clear day. Making their way down onto the pitch, Snape instructed both teams to shake hands before mounting their brooms.

Harry spied the young fourth year Hufflepuff seeker. Cedric Diggory was quite a handsome boy, with an infectious smile. Harry and Cedric exchanged pleasantries as both seekers mounted their brooms, ready to begin the match. Blowing his whistle, Snape let the game commence as Gryffindor managed to grab the Quaffle first. However, Wood's suspicions were correct as less than 50 seconds into the game Snape called for a penalty for the Puffs after Angelina bumped into one of their chasers. Harry knew then that Snape wouldn't favour his team just because he was on it, meaning he had to step up his game.

Before long another three penalties were given to the Puffs, bringing them up to 40-nil Hufflepuff's way. Every time one of the lion's chasers managed to get within goal distance, Snape called for a penalty to be given to the Hufflepuff's. Harry was beginning to resent what Snape was doing, finding his tactics both unfair and of course against the rules. However, he knew he couldn't do anything about it, lest he be sent off for arguing with the referee.

A couple of times Harry had sworn he'd seen the snitch, causing him to dive or fly straight towards his suspicions, only to be rewarded with nothing. 3 minutes into the game and the Puffs were dominating the field, but only through the refereeing of Snape then actual skill on the broom. Harry looked around at his team and saw that most of them were in despair. Wood made a few hand movements as Harry looked over towards the goals, which he interpreted as 'get a move on!'.

Circling the pitch, Cedric kept a steady pace on the young Potter, staying only a few metres behind him most of the time. Harry tried to shake off the Puff seeker but had little luck. But luck decided to reward him with something else. Hovering just a few metres off the Hufflepuff goals was a sparkling golden orb. The glint of the gold caught Harry's eye, alerting him to its presence before shooting straight off in its direction. Harry's Nimbus 2000 outflew Cedric's old Cleansweep 20, managing to take off halfway down the field before the Puff seeker even realised what was going on. With little competition in way of broom speed, Harry managed to catch the snitch in record time as Cedric pulled away, knowing the game was already lost for his team.

The lions in the stands erupted into applause as Harry circled the pitch with snitch in hand, showing it off to the crowd. Snape blew his whistle to signal the end of the game, looking over at the young Potter with a mixture of congratulations and animosity. Fred and George were the first team members to reach him, smashing into him with almost enough force to dislodge him from his broom.

"Potter's got the snitch! Potter's got the snitch!" They shouted out as they lifted Harry into the air,

Before long the rest of the team made their way over, grabbing Harry whenever they could into a tight hug of congratulations. Even Wood managed to grasp a manly hug around the boy before retreating to a professional distance, "Blimey Harry, that must be a world record" Angelina told him, "That had to been less than 5 minutes surely?"

"You really think our Harry would let us down" George told them ruffling said Harry's hair,

Fred added his own hand to his hair, "Yeah, sincewhen as Harry missed a snitch",

Wood was shaking his head in laughter as Harry's hair began to get even messier, "Well done anyway Harry, you did well mate, didn't doubt you for a moment", Wood congratulated him,

Before the team to move off however, the young Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric, came flying over, "Well done Harry, good catch there" He congratulated,

Harry nodded his thanks, "Thanks Cedric, not bad flying yourself, hope we get to battle it out next year too",

"Maybe next time you won't be so lucky" Cedric smirked,

"We'll see" Harry chuckled.

Cedric left the lions to their business as he flew back down to comfort his own team. The Gryffindor's eventually made their way back down to the ground where their house readily greeted them with praise as they carried Harry off back to the tower. The party that night went well into the night, stopping just before midnight when professor McGonagall came bursting in from the portrait hole, sending them all off to their respective dorms.

The next morning down in the Great Hall, Hedwig delivered a small hastily written note from Hagrid,

' _It's Happening',_ was all the note had written on it. Harry and his friends almost knew what that meant automatically, fearing for what would happen next. As it was Sunday, the group of friends made their way down to Hagrid's hut, trying to spy Hagrid may be. Stepping up to the hut's door, Harry knocked on the door, setting Fang off into a barking frenzy and causing the sounds of clutter being thrown around to begin. A few seconds later, Hagrid appeared at the door with a broad grin on his face.

"'ello you lot, come in, quickly now", Hagrid ushered the group of students in,

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alec crowded into the room, where Fang ambushed Ron with licks to his face as he jumped up in excitement, "Ugh, Fang knock it off would you!" Ron tried to reason with the Boar hound.

Hagrid shut the door behind him before making his way over to the fireplace, picking up the feared black dragon egg, "It's beginnin' to 'atch it is" he told them as he placed the egg on his table,

The group of students gathered around the egg as slowly but surely bits of egg shell began to crack. Suddenly a foot appeared from the bottom, and then another from the other-side before finally the entire egg exploded as a small creature burst forth from the egg. Sitting in front of them all was a small, blue hued scaled dragon, who looked up at the group of students with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

"Isn't he beautiful" Hagrid praised as small tears escaped his eyes.

The small dragon reared its head as Hagrid picked it up in his hands, spitting a small flame of fire at his beard, "Oh would yeh look at tha' he knows who his mummy is",

Harry and his friends couldn't believe what they were witnessing as Hagrid lovingly stroked the small fire breathing reptilian.

"Hagrid, you can't possibly be thinking of keeping that, it'll burn your house down!" Hermione warned him,

Ron managed to move around close enough to get a good look at the creature, "Blimey Hagrid! That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! That thing will grow bigger than your house!"

"Yeah Hagrid mate that's really not a bright idea" Alec added,

Hagrid seemed to ignore the student's comments as he continued to stroke the little dragon, "Hagrid, you can't keep the dragon, it's dangerous" Harry pleaded as he tugged on Hagrid's arm.

Hagrid peered down at Harry, "He'll be right 'arry don't you worry 'bout tha'",

The group of friends left Hagrid's that day feeling incredibly nervous about what would happen next. However, the group of friends had more important things to worry about then Hagrid's pet dragon. As Hermione would continuity tell them all, they had exams fast approaching, and for once Harry was nervous about his school work. These exams would be what would either get you into the next year or make you repeat, and Harry was desperate not to repeat a year.

On the side however, the threat of the Philosophers stone being stolen still loomed in their minds. For Harry, this threat was almost as important, if not more so, then exam revision. After all, it had been his family who had been most effected by Voldemort than any other of his friends, although the Weasley's and Longbottom's were close behind. Harry didn't know why he knew it was Voldemort, it was more like a hunch backed by his gut instincts. His friends were a bit more sceptical about it being Voldemort, Hermione especially, but Harry continued to trust his instincts.

On life went however, and before long exams were not merely on the horizon but only around the corner. Steadily the dragon in Hagrid's hut began to get bigger and bigger. A few days after it had hatched, Hagrid had decided to call the little dragon 'Norbet', an interesting name for a very interesting creature. Norbet continued to grow and continued to harm his 'mother', burning Hagrid every so often. He had gotten so big now that Fang had decided that living outdoors was a much better alternative to living with the fire-breathing reptilian holed up in the hut.

Hermione was afraid that the poor beast would go insane from being trapped indoors all the time, and begged Hagrid to release the poor critter so that it could fly and be free. Hagrid stubbornly refused, stating that other creatures would harm the dragon, a fact the four friends found very hard to believe. However, a few weeks away from exam time, Hagrid finally came to his senses one day.

"I must say, it is a bit stuffy in 'ere, and hard to move 'round with Norbet in ere'" Hagrid was telling the foursome as they sat around the table drinking tea,

"Hagrid, my brother Charlie works with dragons, let him take him for you" Ron suggested, "He'll be safe and sound in Romania, there's a dragon sanctuary and all",

Hagrid looked back at his beloved pet longingly, "Bu' wha' if the bigger dragons pick on 'im",

Harry petted Hagrid's arm gently, "I'm sure Charlie will look after Norbet as best he can, besides, sooner or later you'll be found out and get in trouble",

Hagrid looked around at the group of friends who all nodded in agreement to Harry's statement.

"Alright then, I guess it's for the best" Hagrid told them solemnly,

A look of relief came across the group of students as finally they would be able to get rid of the dragon that had caused them all too much anxiety and fear in the last few weeks of school. Ron agreed that he would write to his brother tonight in order to arrange details as to when and how they should get the dragon to him. Harry agreed to lend Ron Hedwig, seeing as that Ron didn't have an owl of his own and the message was too important to be given to a school owl. The next day Hedwig was nowhere to be seen, as excepted considering the distance she had to cover. Harry was worried for his pet, worried that she might have been hurt or intercepted by an unfriendly animal, maybe even a dragon. His fears however diminished the moment Harry saw her fly proudly into the Great Hall the day after with a letter strapped to her leg.

Landing in front of her master, Hedwig affectionately nipped at Harry's finger as he fed her a piece of toast before removing the letter and passing it to Ron. Taking it from his best mate, Ron opened up the letter and quickly read through it as Hermione read over his shoulder. The two of them lit up with smiles.

"Charlie's agreed to help us out" Ron told them, "He's going to send a couple of friends to come pick him up this Friday night!"

"We have to take Norbet to the highest peak in the school, which would have to be the astronomy tower" Hermione added,

"How do you reckon we can do that then?" Alec asked,

Harry thought for a moment, "A couple of us can take Norbet underneath my invisibility cloak, sneak up to the tower and get out in no time"

The foursome seemed to agree with the answer, "So whose going to take him then?" Alec asked,

"Well since it's my cloak I should probably go, Ron? Want to join me?" Harry asked,

Ron looked around at his friends, "I…guess?" He answered, "But you're going in front, I'm not getting burnt by that thing again",

The table laughed lightly at the remembrance of the times that Norbet had decided to burn someone else besides Hagrid. For the foursome, the week went by quickly as the thought of finally getting rid of Norbet became a reality. They had trouble keeping the dragon's existence quiet, and at one point they were afraid that Malfoy had overheard them talking about their plans on Friday night. The young Snake gave them a snarky smirk as he passed them, sparking the fear that he did indeed hear their plans. Each day leading up to the fateful night, Hagrid had the foursome over to spend as much time with the dragon as possible. Hagrid now had to tie the dragon up to his bed, lest he wanted Norbet to burn his hut down.

On Friday night, Ron and Harry made their way down quietly to Hagrid's hut, where Hagrid was silently crying as he held onto Norbet, "Oh Norbet, I'll miss yeh" Hagrid cried, "Yeh were the best thing to come into my life".

Harry and Ron comforted their friend for a while before finally having to go, "Hagrid, we have to go now" Harry told him,

Hagrid nodded silently as he released Norbet and passed the leash which held him over to Harry. Ron got in position behind the dragon as Hagrid helped placed the cloak over the three of them.

"Goodbye Norbet, be a good dragon now for 'arry and Ron yeh hear" Hagrid farewelled his pet,

As if to say goodbye himself, Norbet let out a low moan as he followed Harry and Ron out of the hut and into the night. The three of them silently made their way back into the castle, passing the statues and pieces of armour that stood vigil throughout the castle. Every now and then they would have to stop as a ghost glided slowly and silently by, sometimes within inches of the group. They passed through a number of their classrooms, finding it eerie in the dark, with no light to guide them.

They managed to make their way pass Mrs Norris, surprisingly, who they thought would have at least smelt the rather pungent dragon that was beneath Harry's cloak. After what seemed like a lifetime, the group finally made their way up to the astronomy tower, where they hunkered down, waiting for the group of Charlie's friends to swing by and pick up the pet dragon. Taking off the cloak, Ron and Harry let Norbet roam a little around the top of the tower, stretching his wings after spending so much time under the restrictive cloak. They didn't have to wait long for Charlie's friends however, as in the distance three individuals blotted out the night sky as they came in to land on top of the astronomy tower.

"Someone order a dragon pickup" One of the flyers joked,

Harry and Ron stepped forward with Norbet still on the leash, "We're glad to see you lot" Harry replied, "Got a nice dragon for you right here"

The two other flyers stepped forwards and took out a large cage from a bag around one of their hips. Placing it down on the ground, the three dragon keepers coaxed the dragon into the cage with a number of treats and fresh meat before finally sealing the dragon inside of the box.

"Well, we'll be off now, Charlie will be in contact soon to let you know how it goes" the lead keeper told them,

Ron and Harry shook the groups hands as they farewelled Norbet one last time, "See you Norbet, I'd like to say I'll miss you but…well…you know!" Ron told the beast,

"Goodluck Norbet, I hope you're happy at your new home" Harry farewelled.

Slowly but surely the three flyers took off, chains attaching the cage to their brooms, lifting the cage off the ground along with the dragon held inside. They heard one last low moan as the dragon slowly lifted off into the sky, for the first time in his life. Harry and Ron high-fived as they watched the menace known as Norbet fly off into the night.

"Far out, I'm bloody glad that's over" Ron told Harry as they made their way back downstairs,

Harry chuckled softly, "He wasn't that bad, was he?"

"Besides the burning and the biting, yeah sure" Ron joked, "I mean, he was kind of cute when he was small",

The two boys joked all the way down the stairs of the astronomy tower, never realising that they left the invisibility cloak back up in the astronomy tower. Before they had a chance to realise, a familiar voice rang out from behind them.

"MR POTTER! MR WEASLEY!"

Turning around, the two boys paled at the two individuals behind them. Standing in her tartan dressing gown, Professor McGonagall eyed the two boys with fury. Behind her, smirking as usual, was Draco Malfoy. The young Snake eyed the two boys, daring them to attack.

"What do you think you are doing out of bed at this hour boys!" The stern old professor enquired,

The two boys nervously looked at each other, "we eh...we're doing something for…Hagrid" Ron told her,

McGonagall looked down at the two boys as she made her way over to them, her wand lit up, "And what, per chance, were you doing for Hagrid?"

"We…can't tell you…we promised" Harry told her.

That obviously wasn't the right thing to say, as fury entered the eyes of their head of house, "Boy's, I suggest you tell me what you were doing tonight, lest you want your punishment to be worse".

"They were helping Hagrid get rid of a dragon, I overhead them the other day" Draco sneered from behind her,

Ron and Harry shot the boy an icy glare as McGonagall turned to the two boys again, "A dragon, and I'm supposed to believe that, then am I?"

"I'm afraid we can't tell you professor, we promised Hagrid" Harry told her once more,

With tired eyes, the professor sighed, "Whilst I admire your loyalty to Hagrid, I'm afraid this does not help you with your punishments" She sighed once more, "50 points from Gryffindor…each"

The two boys gasped as they turned their gaze downwards, "And detention for all three of you" McGonagall added,

At this point, Malfoy stepped out from behind McGonagall to face her, "I'm sorry Professor, it almost sounded like you said all three?"

McGonagall fixed the young snake an icy glare, "You are correct Mr Malfoy. Whilst your actions may be good natured, you too are still out of your bed".

Ron and Harry smirked at the fact that even Malfoy didn't avoid punishment, "Boys, I suggest you make your way back to your dormitories, you shall receive information about your detention tomorrow morning" McGonagall told the three boys.

"Yes Professor, we're sorry Professor" Harry apologised as he led Ron off in the direction of Gryffindor tower. The two boys waited until they were certain they were alone before heading back to the astronomy tower quickly and silently, retrieving Harry's cloak. They made their way back towards the tower, under the protection of the invisibility cloak. Making their way up to their dormitory, the two boys removed the cloak from themselves before finally making their way into bed.

"Well, that could have gone better" Harry remarked,

Ron snorted as he hopped into bed, "You can say that again, oh well, at least Norbets gone. Hagrid owes us one"

Harry silently nodded as he too jumped into bed, laying his head down before finally letting sleep overtake him.

The next morning, most of the Gryffindor's had to take a double take at the hourglasses that held the house points. Overnight the house had gone from first to last as 100 tiny rubies receded into the top half of the hourglass overnight. Students began to talk amongst themselves and eventually the news that Ron and Harry had been caught out of bed had spread. Before long the whole house was blaming the two young lions for their current house situation.

"Nice job your two!"

"What pricks, losing us points like that"

"To think I thought Potter was a hero"

These were just some of the chatter flying around the Gryffindor table that morning as the foursome found themselves huddled at the end of the table, far from any of their other friends. Hagrid was absent from the staff table that morning, most likely still sulking in his hut by the forest.

"Bloody Hagrid and his dragons, it's all his fault you know" Ron angrily mumbled to himself,

Hermione leaned across the table to place a hand on his, "You did the right thing Ron, both you and Harry"

Ron rolled his eyes as he withdrew his hand from hers and began to eat again, a blush spreading across his face, "Tell you what though, I'm glad it was just you two. Imagine if it was all four of us" Alec added,

Harry nodded his head in agreement, "At least he's gone now, just have to get through detention",

Harry and Ron didn't have to wait long before Professor McGonagall made her way over to the group, passing two pieces of parchment to the two boys, "Here are your detention orders boys, please, try not to break anymore rules before end of year".

Ron and Harry nodded solemnly as they read the parchment given to them. They were to serve detention that night with Hagrid. Ron and Harry looked at each other in relief, "Surely anything with Hagrid can't be that bad, can it?" Ron asked nervously,

Harry shrugged, "Who knows, I mean, we had to deal with Norbet for the last few weeks. Maybe he'll lead us on a rescue mission"

Ron and Alec snorted at the idea of the two boys flying in to rescue the dragon. But they would have to wait until that night to find out what Hagrid had in store for them. Unfortunately for the two boys, Ron and Harry had to go through the whole day facing animosity from their own housemates who blamed them for the loss of points. Harry and Ron were very subdued throughout the day, even Harry found it hard to focus on his best subjects of potions and transfiguration. Snape held off from making any snide remarks however, leaving the two boys alone for most of the lesson. Harry could tell though that the potion master was disappointed in the young Potter for his actions.

Eventually the day came to an end, and the two boys found themselves baying farewell to their friends as they made their way to the entrance hall where Filch would take them down to Hagrid. Malfoy was already waiting with Filch, keeping a distance from the cranky old janitor.

"Come on you two, hurry it up would you!" Filch called out to the two Gryffindor's.

Malfoy sneered at the two friends as he began to follow filch out to the grounds. Ron and Harry followed close behind, talking amongst themselves quietly as they followed the snake and janitor out to Hagrid's,

"If it were up to me I'd be shackling you up in the dungeons for the night. That'd teach you lot a lesson" Filch sneered at the boys.

As Hagrid's hut came into view, Hagrid stepped out of the wooden structure with a large crossbow and Fang following close behind.

"Alright 'arry, Ron?" Hagrid called out to the group

Filch sneered at the groundskeeper, "Wouldn't be too friendly with them Hagrid, bad apples these lot"

"Not yeh place teh punish them Filch, yeh old squib" Hagrid called out as the group stopped in front of him.

Filch mumbled lightly under his breath as he made his way back towards the castle, leaving the three boys in the charge of Hagrid.

"Alright yeh lot, got teh go into the forest, track down a bleedin' unicorn and put it out of its misery"

"The forest! But…there's centaurs and werewolves and all sorts of dangerous creatures in there!" Malfoy spat in fear and disgust,

Ron rolled his eyes, "Come on Malfoy, don't be such a baby"

Harry sniggered at his friend's comment, "Shut it weasel" Malfoy sneered,

"Enough yeh lot, times a tickin', follow me!" Hagrid broke up the verbal fight.

The three boys followed Hagrid into the forest, the, lions giving the lone snake an icy stare. Making their way deeper and deeper into the forest, each armed with a lantern, the shadows of the forest began to close in on them. Before long, the group could only see a few metres in front of themselves as the moonlight was blocked of by the canopy of the trees.

All around them twigs broke and leaves rustled as the creatures of the night scattered at the sound of the group making their way through the forest. Although Hagrid was with them, the group still felt the fear of the forest take a grip on them, jumping at every sound that came from around them. Suddenly, Hagrid stopped in the middle of the path and turned around to face the group.

"Alright yeh lot, gotta split up teh cover more ground"

The group looked at each other in fear for a moment, "You can't be serious, surely!" Malfoy exclaimed in shock.

"Hagrid, you can't spilt us up!" Harry added,

Hagrid shook his head, "Sorry boy's, best chance of finding the unicorn is by splittin' up", Hagrid looked around as a twig broke off in the distance, "Right, Ron, come with me would yeh, 'arry, Draco, go off tha' way. If anythin' happens shoot up some red sparks"

"Fine! But I want Fang!" Malfoy exclaimed,

Hagrid handed the boar hound over to the young Snake, "Alright, but I warn yeh, he's a bloody coward".

As if to prove a point, the boar hound whined in fear. Splitting up, Hagrid and Ron made their way down the path again as Malfoy and Harry went in the other direction, off into the forest.

"Just wait until my father hears about this!" Malfoy whined,

Harry rolled his eyes as he ignored the young Slytherin. Around them noises continued to protrude from the forest surrounding them. Occasionally Fang would let out a low whine as he led the way through the forest, Malfoy holding tight to his collar. Suddenly, a small pool of silver liquid came into view, blocking their way further. Investigating, the two boys got closer to the liquid, before a noise ahead of them got their attention. In front of them was a small clearing in the forest, moonlight shone down onto the patch of clear ground.

In front of them was a pure white beast laying on the ground, with a large, black tumor protruding from it. On closer inspection, the tumor appeared to be alive, moving and sucking at the dead unicorn's body. The two boys approached cautiously, keeping an eye on the figure which sat over the dead Unicorn. As they approached, the figure suddenly moved, revealing itself as a cloaked figure, with a pale white face, its mouth covered with the silver blood of the unicorn. Malfoy let out a scream as he took off with Fang in close pursuit. Harry was knocked to the ground in the process, left with no light but the moon as the figure began to slowly drift over to the boy.

As the figure came closer, the scar on Harry's head began to flare with pain, causing Harry to place a hand on his forehead. The figure got closer and closer to the young Potter, almost reaching him before a sound of hooves approached the scene from behind Harry. The sound revealed itself to be a brown-haired centaur, who charged in above Harry straight into the creature that threatened him. Rearing its body, the creature retreated back into forest as the centaur rounded on it, chasing it off further into the forest, before returning to Harry.

"Harry Potter, are you hurt?" the centaur asked,

Harry shook his head as he got up from the ground, "I'm fine, thank you for your help there, thought I was a gonna"

The centaur nodded his head, "You are most welcome young Potter. Come, climb atop of me, we shall find your friends",

Making his way over to the centaur, Harry scampered up onto his back, holding on around the creature's waist. As soon Harry was on, the centaur galloped away from the clearing, into the dark forest in search of Hagrid and the others. Before they could find them however, another group of centaurs appeared in front of Harry and the centaur he was riding.

"Firenze! What do you think you're doing with a human on your back!" A dark-haired centaur asked stepping into the moonlight,

Firenze stepped towards the group of his kind, allowing his people to see him clearly, "Bane…This human is Harry Potter, we all know the destiny this boy faces"

"Destiny? What destiny?" Harry tried to interrupt,

Bane reared his hooves in disgust, "Firenze, it matters little what a human's destiny is, we swore never to stoop so low as to help the wizards, let alone carry them on our backs like some common mule!"

A loud snap of a twig behind Bane broke the argument up as Hagrid, followed by Ron, Draco and Fang, made their presence known, "Evenin' Firenze, Bane, see yeh found our 'arry then"

Firenze helped the young Potter down from his back, "Indeed, you should count yourself lucky youngling"

Bane snorted in disgust as Harry passed him by, "You push your luck Firenze, I hope to never see you helping another human again", and with that, Bane made his way away from the group with a swish of his tail, galloping into the night.

"Right ole' piece of work Bane is" Hagrid commented, "So yeh alright 'arry?"

Harry nodded up at Hagrid before turning around to face Firenze, "Thank you, once again, for saving me back there"

The centaur bowed his head before making his way back out into the forest, allowing the darkness to drown out his figure.

"Alright yeh lot, time teh get back to the castle I think",

Following Hagrid out of the forest, the three boys soon found themselves once again basked in moonlight as they re-entered the castle grounds. Hagrid saw them off into the castle where the three boys made their way to the respective dormitories, but not before Malfoy could let off a snide remark,

"Have fun getting saved by a filthy half-breed Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes as he turned to face the boy, "I do believe it was you who ran away with Fang and the lantern"

Malfoy let out a sneer before accepting defeat and retreating into the Slytherin dungeons. Ron and Harry made their way towards Gryffindor tower, Harry informing Ron on what happened in the forest,

"That's mental that is" he exclaimed, "What did I tell you, anything to do with Hagrid turns out to be bloody mental"

Harry snorted as they walked along, "You got that right. I can't help but wonder what exactly that thing was though…I kind of think it was…"

"It was what?"

Harry looked around before continuing, "Voldemort"

Ron jumped a little at the name, "Blimey, you don't think it was really him do you?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't know, all I know is that my scar started to burn and whatever that thing was, it was not natural".

Ron nodded in agreement, "You're bloody lucky Firenze came along when he did".

Eventually the two boys found themselves at the entrance to the portrait hole, guarded by the Fat Lady. Muttering the password, the two boys entered the empty common room before making their way back upstairs to their dorm room. They entered it, finding that all of their friends were already asleep. Baying each other goodnight, Ron and Harry hopped into their beds, hoping for a goodnight sleep after their adventure in the forbidden forest.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

For Rose Potter, the last few weeks of her life had been some of the greatest. Everyday posed another adventure for her and her friends. Rose, Ginny and Luna would venture out into the surrounding area and explore all the nooks and crannies they could find. Most of the time Sirius accompanied them in his Animagus form, protecting them from anyone who would do them harm. Occasionally he would take the three friends out exploring around the country, or even out to muggle attractions.

Today was no different from those days. Rose, Ginny and Luna had planned to go out again today to their now favourite spot, a small grotto found in the forest out of town. It was about an hour's walk from the Burrow, where the three girls would meet up before venturing out. As always, Sirius accompanied them for their own protection. Meeting at the Burrow just before 10, the three girls and one black shaggy dog, started out on their journey out of town. Rose and Ginny had supplied the food for today, whilst Luna supplied a lovely picnic blanket and a number of wizard games.

"Did you grab everything we need Rose?" Ginny asked her best friend,

"Of course, I did" Rose replied, "You really thought I'd forget the crisps and bread, can't have a picnic without having a chip butte, now can you?"

Ginny let out a chuckle as she placed an arm around her friend, "Of course not, now come on, let's go grab Luna"

Leading her friend outside, Luna was currently patting a very affectionate Sirius in Dog form, "Rose, your dog if rather loving, what's his name?"

"Sirius, his name is Sirius, and he's not a dog, now are you Padfoot" Rose chuckled,

The dog let out a low whine before stepping back, forming back into the human form of Sirius. Luna just stood there with her dreamy face admiring the magic, "That's a rather nice trick Mr Sirius"

Sirius let out a chuckle as he walked over to Rose and Ginny, "Why thank you Luna, I'm available for party hire"

"Sirius, stop being so mean" Rose chastised him, slapping him on the arm,

Sirius faked rubbing his arm in pain as he took the picnic basket from Rose, "Yes mum"

"And don't you forget it!"

Setting off towards the girl's secret hideout, the three girls and one adult chatted amongst each other as they walked along the country road. Occasionally Sirius would sprint ahead in his Animagus form to scout out the road ahead, coming back often with his tongue lolling out of his mouth and a dopey look on his face. The girls managed to reach their picnic destination after about an hour's walk, although the time seemed to be quicker as the three girls chatted. Rolling out their picnic blanket, Rose set about making her friends and godfather plates of food from the supplies they had foraged early in the day.

"Thanks for this pup, haven't been on a picnic in years" Sirius joked as he laid himself out on the blanket,

Luna and Ginny joined in thanking their friend for the food, "Yeah thanks Rose, this is great"

"It's quite pleasant thank you Rose" Luna added,

Rose waved her hand in dismissal, "It's alright, nothing too fancy but it hits the spot"

As they ate, the group chatted amongst themselves, discussing what Ron and Harry were up to at Hogwarts, specifically the tale of how they snuck a dragon out of the school,

"I mean, honestly, what does Hagrid think he's doing trying to keep a dragon as a pet" Ginny told them,

Sirius chuckled at the thought, "I can imagine that the old bugger thought it was a great idea at the time" He told them, "Though I'm more impressed at the fact that not only did they convince him to give the creature away, but to actually sneak it out of the school too"

"Let's hope Hagrid doesn't have any strange creatures when we get there next semester" Rose giggled,

"Oh, I don't know, I think it would be rather magical to meet some of the rarer creatures" Luna said in her singsong voice.

Sirius suddenly stood up and brushed himself off of dust, "Alright girls, I think I'll leave you too it, I might go for a wander" He told them, "If you need me I'll be within shouting distance so just shout _really loud_ "

"Alright Padfoot, we'll see you later then" Rose farewelled her godfather.

Giving them all a wave, Sirius turned back into his Animagus form and ran off into the bushes surrounding them. Turning back to her friends, Rose looked towards Ginny with a smirk, "So let's see the ring again"

Ginny blushed as she pulled a ring from her pocket and slipped in into her finger, sticking it out to show it to her friends,

"My, that is a lovely ring isn't it. And the rubies compliment your hair so well" Luna commented,

Rose took Ginny's hand a little closer, "My brother certainly does have style at least"

"I wouldn't care if he didn't, it's the thought that counts" Ginny blushed,

"You have to admit though, it is a lovely ring" Rose told her,

"It is, but I think Ginny's right, it is the thought that counts" Luna added,

Ginny smiled at both of her friends before she withdrew her hand from Rose's and kissed the ring, like she had on many occasions in her room. The words carved into the ring flashed before her once more, making her heart flutter with emotions.

"It's very likely that the two of you will eventually come together in union" Luna airily commented,

Rose nodded her head in agreement, "Anyone would have to be stupid to disagree otherwise".

Ginny merely nodded her head, still engrossed on the ring that was attached to her finger, "Earth to Ginny, helloooo" Rose clicked her fingers in front of her friend's face,

Snapping out of her trance, Ginny looked at both of her friends with a sheepish grin on her face, "Sorry guys, got kind of carried away there didn't I?"

Luna and Rose nodded at her before bursting out into laughter, "Oh Ginny, you're a goner" Rose told her in between laughs.

The rest of the day was lovely for the girls, who spent their time playing amongst the trees, swinging from branch to branch and pretending to be fierce Aurors chasing down a dark wizard or witch. Getting tired, the girls started up a game of exploding snap before eventually returning to conversation once the deck of cards they had brought with them combusted.

"We should form a group, like a sisterhood or something" Ginny told her friends,

Luna nodded her head in agreement, "That sounds like a lovely idea Ginny"

"Yeah, but what should we call it, we can't just call it the sisterhood" Rose added,

Ginny shook her head, "No we can't, why don't we call it the sisters of '81, since we were all born in 1981?"

Rose shook her head, "Too long, how about the redhead sisters"

Luna pointed to her hair, "I'm afraid I don't quite match that description"

"Oh…right, sorry Luna" Rose apologized,

"What about the Sisters of Ottery, since we all live in Ottery St Catchpole" Ginny suggested,

"Yeah, I like that, what do you think Luna?"

"I quite like it too, it's nice. It would be nicer if we were otters but we can't have everything"

Rose and Ginny looked at each other before chuckling, "Never change Luna, never change" Rose told her,

Off in the distance they heard a twig snap, causing them all to jump in fright, before they all settled down as a certain black shaggy dog came running out of the woods.

"Hey Sirius, have a fun run?" Ginny asked the dog,

Sirius let out a loud bark before turning himself back into his human form, "Ah, yes, it was quite lovely actually thank you Ginny. Nice to run amongst the trees and chase the squirrels", Sirius purposely left off the lovely young lady he had met, who he convinced to give him a good bit of attention.

Rose shook her head, "You shouldn't chase animals, it's cruel you old dog"

Sirius put on a hurt expression as he let out a low whine, "Oh, But Rosey my dear it's so fun, you should try it one day!"

"I'd love to, but I can't exactly turn into a black shaggy dog on will, now can I?" Rose rolled her eyes,

"No, I guess not" Sirius chuckled, "Anyway you lot, it's time to head back, I promised Molly I'd have you back in time for dinner"

Packing up their belongings, the group of friends set back off down the road, informing Sirius of the day they had enjoyed whilst he was roaming the forest. He chuckled at the mention of them forming a sisterhood, finding it rather cute and funny at the same time. He spoke about the group that him and his friends, including Rose's father James, formed when they were at school, called the marauders, and the trouble they would get into. Rose had heard it all before from Sirius, Lennox and Remus, but Ginny and Luna were quite interested in what the old rogue had to tell them.

Before long, the group were walking back into the Burrow, welcomed by Molly who stood eagerly by the front door, awaiting their arrival. After a short break of a cup of tea and biscuits, and enough time to inform Molly of their activities during the day, Luna, Rose and Sirius decided to head back to their respective homes. Flooing back to the Evans house, Sirius and Rose were greeted by the elder Evans who were currently sitting around the fireplace enjoying a nice cup of tea together. Once again, she recited her daily tale, as Rose told her grandparents what she had been up to with her friends during the day, both of whom found much joy in hearing about their young granddaughter's adventures.

"Ah, to be young again, do you remember all those adventures we use to have Alex?" Juni reminisced with her husband,

Alex chuckled as he laid his cup down on the table, "I do indeed my love, I do believe our first kiss was on one of those adventures"

Juni smiled passionately at her husband as she reached out to hold his hand. The rest of the day was fairly tame compared to Rose's adventure in the afternoon. They had a light dinner later that night before Rose finally headed off to bed for a good night's rest. Every night, Sirius made sure to come in and talk to her for a while about her parents or just the magical world in general. Rose found out a great deal about the world she was born into, as well as her family, and not just her parents. Sirius had learnt a great deal about the Potter's from James and his parents when they were alive. As such, Sirius was able to recall many facts and details about the earlier Potters that the Evans couldn't.

However, as with every night, Sirius had to bid her goodnight as the night dragged on. Retreating from her room, Sirius gave her a loving smile as he retreated back downstairs to sit up and chat to the other adults. That night, Rose dreamt once more of Harry battling an evil foe down in some dungeon. Once again, it was Quirrell that he was facing, however this time, another face was attached to Quirrell, emerging itself from the back of his head. Rose woke up in the middle of the night, dripping with sweat and fearing for her life and Harrys. Unable to go back to sleep, Rose quietly crept out of her room and down the hallway to where Sirius was sleeping. Gently knocking on the door, Rose entered the room just as Sirius flicked on the light, awoken by the knock on his door.

"What's wrong pup?" He asked her quietly,

Rose made her way over to Sirius and cuddled up to him on the bed, "I had a nightmare about Harry fighting someone"

Sirius stroked his goddaughter's hair as he tucked her in underneath the sheets, "It's alright pup, it was only a dream, do you want to sleep in here tonight?"

Rose nodded her head as she buried herself into Sirius side, "Yes please, if you don't mind"

"Of course, I don't" Sirius told her, "it's why I'm here after all. Your mum would never forgive me for not looking after her little girl".

Rose smiled up at him meekly as she laid her head down on the pillow next to Sirius and shut her eyes. Sirius smiled lovingly down at the young Potter, before finally turning off the light and settling down into his bed as well. The information that Rose was having nightmares of Harry troubled him, but Sirius hoped that that's all they were…nightmares. He wondered if perhaps there was some truth behind the dreams, and that Harry truly was in danger. Sirius would have to send an owl to Dumbledore tomorrow, asking to keep an eye on Harry as closely as possible. There was no way he was going to lose any of the two most important people in his life. He already had that happen to him once, he wasn't about to let that happen again.


	12. Trials & Confrontations

**Exams, trials and Confrontations, the end of the year: Chapter 12**

All thoughts and worries of Voldemort or losing more points was quickly forgotten as the school entered the dreaded examination period. For Harry and his friends, the last few days consisted of mainly Hermione either stressing herself over exams, or scolding them for not studying more, before forcing them to study at that moment. Harry was quietly confident that he would do well in the coming exams, but he still worried if the different conditions would affect him and cause him to fail.

"Hermione, we've been studying for hours now, pleeeease, can you let us have a break?" Ron complained one night,

"Ronald! You obviously want to fail don't you!" Hermione shot him a dirty look,

Ron rolled his eyes as he set his work aside, "How can I possibly fail when you ride us harder than McGonagall"

Over in another corner of the common room, a group of fifth years sniggered at Ron's comment, "What are you lot laughing about eh!" Ron called out to them,

The group waved their hands in dismissal as they continued on with their work. Ron looked around for help from his friends, Harry was just as confused as he was, and Alec had a stupid little grin on him. Hermione was still fuming over Ron's lack of studying, and refused to look at him.

"Blimey, you lot are no help at all" Ron scolded,

Harry chuckled as he too laid his work aside, "Come on Hermione, let's have a night off, we've still got the weekend and the rest of the week to study"

Hermione looked up from her work and frowned lightly, "That's exactly the kind of attitude that will get you in trouble Harry!"

"Maybe" Harry rolled his eyes, "Or maybe the kind of trouble will involve dragons and a certain groundskeeper"

Alec and Ron let out a chuckle, "I swear, if he decides to get another bloody dragon, I'm not helping get rid of it. It can burn down his house for all I care!" Ron told them,

"I think we can all agree on that!" Alec added,

"Well if you lot refuse to study I guess I'll just have to go to the library!" Hermione chided them all as she packed up her work and headed out of the portrait hole,

Ron shook his head, "Mental that one".

The group of friends continued to study well up to the examination week, even Ron studied hard as Hermione continued to refuse helping him. As the days got closer to the exam dates, Harry began to notice that Dumbledore had been paying much closer attention to his actions, sometimes pulling him aside to ask him how things were going with him,

"Everything's fine Professor" Harry would tell him,

"That's good Harry" Dumbledore would tell him, "Please though, should anything arise, do not be afraid to let me know",

Harry was reassured by the old wizards smile and sparkling eyes. However, Harry was yet to find anything of concern for the old headmaster. In fact, Harry passed through his examinations without a single event occurring, not a single disturbance or interruption occurred during the 5 days of exams. Harry walked out with his group of friends that Friday after finishing their last practical exam, Defence against the dark arts. It was a joke really; Harry and all the other students had been asked to perform a number of simple jinx's that they had read about. Luckily Harry and his group of friends had practiced them a number of times back at the Burrow during the Christmas holidays, and in the common room at night.

"Well, that was a lot easier than I expected!" Hermione said relieved,

"Easy?!" Ron exclaimed, "I don't know what you think is easy but that exam was definitely not easy!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Relax Ron, I'm sure we all passed",

"Oh, I don't know, that leg-locker curse of Ron's was pretty weak" Alec joked,

Ron shot him a dirty look, "oh shut it you lot"

"So, what shall we do now" Harry asked, "head down to Hagrid's?",

"Sounds like a nice idea Harry" Hermione answered.

So, the four friends made their way down to Hagrid's, stopping occasionally to stop and talk to friends,

"How'd yeh do Harry?" Seamus called out to him as they walked pass,

"Yeah not to bad Seamus, what about you?"

Seamus shrugged a little as he responded, "Not bad, thought my potions could have gone better",

"I think we all can agree there", Dean Thomas answered as he came to sit down next to Seamus,

Harry and his friends bayed them farewell as they continued on through the school. Most of the students were now out and about on the school grounds, enjoying the warm weather that had blanketed the country. There were students out enjoying the black lake, playing with the giant squid who would occasionally pop out to tickle the student's feet as they dangled them in the water. Hagrid was out front of his hut, playing his little flute, as the group of students made their way across the lawn to him.

"'Ello you lot! All done then aye?" He called out to them,

Harry and his friends nodded, "All done, almost time to head home soon" Harry told him,

Hagrid made a move to stand up as he made his way to the front door, "Already through yeh firs' year, blimey how the time flies. You lot wan' a cuppa then?"

They all nodded as they followed the half-giant inside of his hut, "Thanks Hagrid, so how have you been?" Hermione asked as they walked in,

"Oh, yeh kno' not bad I spose", He turned around to face them, "I do miss Norbet though mind"

They all pretended to look solemn as they each took a seat at the table, "Don't worry Hagrid, we miss the fella too" Alec told him reassuringly,

"Yeah, right old treasure he was", Ron added sarcastically,

"Hagrid, I've been meaning to ask you actually, where did you get the dragon egg in the first place?" Harry asked,

Hagrid took a sip of his tea before answering, "Well, I won it in a game of cards yeh see, mind, the fello' certainly seemed keen to give it away",

Harry shared a look at his friends, "Do you remember what this man looked like?"

"Funnily 'nough I can't" Hagrid shook his head, "But he was rather interested in wha' other creatures I've looked after",

The group of friends began to get nervous, "Hagird, you didn't tell him about fluffy…did you?" Hermione asked,

Hagrid looked around nervously, "Well…I mighta let slip tha' after handlin' fluffy, I could handle a dragon",

"And you didn't tell him anything else?" Alec asked,

"Well I did say that all you had te do was play some music fer 'im" Hagrid told them, before realising what he had said, "I shouldna' said tha'"

"No Hagrid, you certainly shouldn't have" Ron told him,

The group of friends left Hagrid's not long afterwards, leaving more nervous now than they had before any of their exams. For the group, the rest of the day was spent relaxing around the lake with their friends, playing wizarding games and occasionally joining in with playing with the giant squid. Fred and George were taking the lead on playing with the gentle giant, hoping straight into the shallows to tickle the creature's long tentacles. Percy was nowhere to be seen, as usual, most likely hiding up in his dorm working on an assignment or just work in general.

Later that night, once the majority of the student body had gone to bed, Harry and his friends stayed up late to discuss the consequences of Hagrid's actions.

"So, what's the plan then" Ron asked, "We can't just sit on our arses and do nothin'"

Hermione whacked his arm lightly, "Ron! Language!"

Ron rubbed his arm in reflex, "I however do agree with you, we must do something about the stone" Hermione added,

"Well, do we know when someone will try and snatch it?" Alec asked,

Harry nodded his head, "It's going to be soon, maybe even tomorrow night"

His friends looked at him in concern, "Are you sure Harry?" Hermione asked,

"I'm sure, I've just got this…feeling…that's it's going to happen. Plus, my scar is hurting, it's warning me that something's going to happen"

His friends all nodded in understanding, "So, it's settled then, tomorrow night we stop whoever wants the stone from grabbing it" Ron told them,

"We should tell professor Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall first though" Hermione added,

Ron groaned, "Really Hermione, you really think they'll believe us!"

"We have to at least try and tell them Ron!" Hermione scolded, "Otherwise we could get in serious trouble, and we all know we can't afford to lose more points",

They all nodded in agreement at that last statement, "So it's settled then, tell the professors and then if they don't do anything, go down there and stop whoever wants it ourselves" Harry concluded,

"That sounds fair, I think we need to be careful though" Alec added,

"Agreed, we must all stick together if we want this to work" Hermione said,

"Well, that's a given, no way I'm going anywhere without you lot!" Ron told them,

They all chuckled at Ron's reaction before finally deciding that tonight's meeting had gone on long enough. Silently making their way up to their respective dorms, the group of friends dived into their beds with desperation as tiredness began to claim its young victims.

The next morning brought about the last weekend of the year. On the Monday, they would all head off back home for summer holidays. Sunday would be the end of year feast where this year's house cup winners would be announced, which thanks to the Norbet incident, was starting to look like Slytherin.

As they had all agreed upon, Harry and his friends would seek out their Professors to tell them about their worry about the Philosophers Stone. Hence, that's how they found themselves walking up to Professor McGonagall's office just after breakfast that morning.

"Hermione, are you sure about this?" Ron asked her,

Hermione looked behind her and shot Ron a scathing look, "Of course I am, besides, better safe than sorry"

Walking in, they found the professor beginning to pack up her books, ready for the summer where she would spend her days working on lesson plans for the following school year. Approaching her desk, the Gryffindor head was surprised to see four of her students approach her on such a sunny and marvellous day,

"Shouldn't you four be outside enjoying the sunshine?" She asked them,

"Professor, is there any way we can talk to professor Dumbledore? Its urgent" Harry said, stepping forwards,

McGonagall looked down her nose at them from behind her glasses, "And why, per say, do you need to speak to the headmaster?"

Harry looked around nervously at his friends, "It's…about the Philosophers Stone",

In a moment of shock, the old professor dropped the books she was carrying, letting them fall to the ground, "How…How do you know about the stone?!"

"Please professor, we need to speak to Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione begged,

McGonagall pursed her lips as she stared at four of her brightest students, "I'm afraid the headmaster is currently away from the castle, he's been called into the ministry for important business"

Harry's face deflated as he heard the news, "But professor, the stones in danger! Somebody is trying to steal it!"

"Whatever you may believe Mr Potter, I can assure you and your friends that the stone is under the upmost protection. Now, I do believe you four should head outside and enjoy the sunshine", and with that, the old transfiguration teacher made her way out of the room, books in hand after summoning them back into her hands.

Feelings defeated, Harry turned to his friends, who all shared the same look on their faces, "So, what do we do now?" Ron asked,

"We continue as planned, we go and protect the stone tonight" Harry told them, "It's obvious that someone has drawn Dumbledore away from the school to grab the stone",

Hermione nodded in agreement, "I think you're right Harry, we need to go tonight",

Nodding in agreement, the four friends made their way down to the black lake once more, trying to enjoy the day as much as they could. Hermione had decided to begin writing a journal of their adventures at Hogwarts, starting from their first day.

"How can you remember that far back?" Ron asked her,

Hermione shrugged as she looked up from where she was laying, "I can't honestly tell you Ron, I just remember these things",

Ron rolled his eyes as he too laid on the soft grass, staring up into the clouded sky. Harry was deep in thought about who it could be who was threatening the stone. They had discussed that it may in fact be Professor Snape, but Harry had his doubts, the man was too civil with Harry to try and hurt him as suggested after his broom was jinxed. Harry doubted it was McGonagall or Flitwick or Sprout, and the possibility that it was anyone else seemed slim. However, one thought kept creeping into his head, could it be Professor Quirrell? Rose had written to him a number of times now telling him of the dreams she was having involving himself and Quirrell. It made Harry wonder for sure, however he had no real proof, only assumption.

His thoughts were soon interrupted as Ron complained once again that his stomach was empty and that they should head for lunch,

"Ron, you've only just had breakfast" Hermione scolded, "Besides, it's not even lunch time yet",

Ron groaned as he rolled onto his stomach, "Blimey, I feel like I could eat a whole feast right now",

Harry and Alec chuckled at their friend, "Knowing you mate, I'm bloody sure you could" Alec joked,

The rest of the day was spent in as much relaxation as possible. Most of the student body was quite happy to just enjoy the last two days of school before heading back. However, for the four first years, the day couldn't have gone any slower. Time seemed to tease them as the sun slowly drifted across the sky before giving way to the darkness of the star filled Scottish night. Dinner was subdued for the four friends, no matter how hard their other friends tried to cheer them up, even Seamus trying to turn water into rum once again, failed to light their spirits. Of all the people on the Gryffindor table, it was Neville who suspected something was wrong.

That night, as everyone headed off to bed, Hermione, Ron, Alec and Harry planned to meet up with each other in an hour, to make sure that everyone was fast asleep before they headed off. Harry, Ron and Alec settled themselves in the boys Room, not noticing that they were missing one of their normal dorm mates. Shortly before midnight, Harry stirred himself awake before making his way silently to Ron and Alec, stirring them from their light sleep.

Grabbing his father's invisibility cloak, Harry and his friends made their way quietly down the stairs, before finally slipping the cloak off.

"Right, now we just have to wait for Hermione", Harry told them,

Ron looked nervously around the room, "She's never late, where is she?!"

"Right here Ron, calm yourself would you", Hermione's voiced called from the bottom of the stairs,

Harry nodded to her before speaking, "Right, everyone, are we all sure we want to do this?" Harry asked them, "There's no shame in backing out now",

Looking around, his friends all shook their heads before he nodded his in understanding. Before they could head off however, a voice called from the now dwindling fireplace, "I knew you four were up to something!"

The four friends spun around to where the voice had come from, before seeing just who had cast it, "Neville!" Hermione whelped in surprise, "It's not what it looks like!"

"You're sneaking out again aren't you" Neville accused them in his soft voice,

Harry stepped towards his friend, "Neville, we have to do something really important, please, let us go",

Neville shook his head as he clenched his fists in front of him, "I won't let you lose us anymore points…I-I'll fight you if I have to!"

All four of them looked at each other with a face of pity at the poor attempt by Neville to stop them,

"I'm really sorry about this Neville… _Petrificus totalus!"_ Hermione's now raised wand shot out a full body bind jinx, causing Neville's limbs to snap flush against his body, causing the boy to fall face first onto the hard floor.

"Far out Hermione, bit much isn't it?" Ron told her,

Hermione shot him a look before making her way over to Neville, "Oh, I'm so sorry Neville, but it's for your own good" She told him as she rolled him over face up,

Neville continued to mumble through his now sealed lips. Ron, Harry and Alec all passed the boy, muttering their apologies as they made their way out of the portrait hole and towards the third-floor corridor, under the cover of Harry's cloak. It was eerily quiet along the corridors of Hogwarts; the foursome didn't come across a single teacher patrol during their short walk to their destination. Not even Mrs Norris or Filch were spotted in their journey.

"I don't like this" Harry whispered to his friends, "Where are all the teachers?",

"Normally Quirrell patrols this area, though I don't know why he's not here now", Hermione told him,

Harry sighed in frustration, "I think I know where he is".

It was obvious then that Quirrell was indeed the culprit behind the threat to the Stone, Harry just feared that he and his friends weren't too late to stop him. Making their way into the third-floor corridor, the group of friends stopped outside the door leading into the antechamber that held the trap door. Taking the cloak off him and his friends, Harry turned around to his fellow Gryffindors,

"None of you have to follow me tonight, if you want, you can turn around and head back to the tower. Otherwise, as soon as we go through this door, there's no turning back",

Ron shook his head at Harry, "There's no way we're letting you do this on your own"

"Yeah mate, we're with you all the way" Alec added his consent,

Hermione looked at Harry with determination, "You know I have to be there to save you boys",

Smirking at his friends, Harry nodded before turning around and opening the door to the room. Over in the corner of the room was a harp, playing automatically a light harmonic tune. Fluffy was not immune to the conjured harp, and was wistfully asleep, its three heads laying lopsided on the floor, a tongue hanging out of each as drool slid down its chin. Slowly making their way towards the trap door, Harry lifted it up and motioned for his friends to go through. Alec went first, silently nodding his head as he jumped down into the dark hole. Next was Hermione, who gave Harry a nervous look before she too jumped down the hole. Lastly, Ron put his hand on his friend's shoulder and looked him in the eye,

"let's do this together, aye?"

Harry nodded his head, "Sounds like a plan mate",

Before either of them could jump however, the conjured harp stopped playing mid-tune. Harry and Ron snapped their heads over to where the harp was, before looking above themselves where a suddenly alert Fluffy was growling over them. Letting out a scream, the two boys jumped straight into the hole without a second to spare as Fluffy closed its jaws down on the spot where they just were.

The boys fell for a good few seconds before they landed on something soft and fleshy. Feeling around him, Harry noticed that whatever they had landed on was organic. Looking around for his friends, Harry only spotted Ron who landed not too far from his own landing spot. However, before he could call out to his friend, a thick vine started to make its way around his body, tightening around him.

"Bloody hell! What is this thing!" Ron cried out in fright,

Suddenly a voice called from below, "IT'S DEVILS SNARE! DON'T MOVE YOU TWO!" Hermione shouted from below them,

Harry complied with Hermione request and tried to stay as still as possible. Ron on the other-hand was struggling as much as he could, "Ron! Stop moving!" Harry cried over,

Ron shot him a frantic look as Harry sunk below into the plant life, before emerging on the other side where Alec and Hermione greeted them.

"He's still struggling! We have to do something!" Alec cried,

Pushing the boys out the way, Hermione whipped out her wand, pointing it up at the plant before muttering an incantation. Suddenly, a ball of light shot out from her wand, causing the plant to roar with pain before dropping a very bewildered Ron.

"Bloody hell…I'm never getting a Venus Fly-trap!",

Hauling Ron up to his feet, Harry gave his friend a once over look, checking for any injuries before they continued on into the deep cavern they had landed in,

"We must be miles underneath the school!" Hermione thought out loud,

"Wherever we are, it's well protected" Harry added,

As they proceeded along, the group of friends started to hear the soft fluttering of wings ahead of them, "Can anyone here that? It sounds like…wings?", said Alec,

The groups questions were soon answered as they entered the next room, where they were greeted by hundreds of flapping wings.

"Bloody hell! What are those things?" Ron exclaimed,

"I think they're…keys?" Hermione answered,

Sure enough, on closer inspection, the wings were attached to large keys of all sizes and make, some iron, some copper, and even some gold or silver. Looking around the room, Harry spotted a door on the other side of the door, along with a broomstick perched against the wall next to it. Making their way over, the group of friends tried in vain to open the door, even Hermione's attempts at _Alohomora_ failed to open the old wooden door.

"It's no use, we're going to have to find the key!" Hermione exclaimed,

"But there's hundreds of them, how are we going to catch the right one hey?" Ron quipped,

All eyes turned to Harry, who stood there watching his friends, "What?"

"Well, you are a seeker Harry, you've got the best chance of catching it out of all of us" Alec explained,

Harry understood now what they needed him to do. Nodding his head in agreement, he strode over to where the broom was perched, picking it up in his hands to get a feel for the broom. It certainly wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst either. Mounting the broom, Harry nodded to his friends before kicking off the ground, "Wish me luck guys",

Zooming around the large room, Harry started to put his seeker skills to use, examining each of the flying keys in rapid succession, "HARRY! YOU'RE LOOKING FOR AN OLD WROUGHT IRON KEY!" Hermione shouted up to him,

"THANKS HERMIONE!" Harry called out as he zoomed passed them,

Were Wood there with Harry, he would of more than likely been shouting at him to pay closer attention. Harry chastised himself for not pushing his senses further, and wondered if he was losing his touch already. However, just as Harry was beginning to lose hope, he spotted a large flying wrought iron door key with a bent wing, flying haphazardly through the flock of other keys. Speeding towards the key, Harry reached out with his hand to catch the large flying hunk of metal. Zooming past, Harry managed to take a grip on the key, pulling it into his body as it tried to take flight away from its capturer.

As if by sensing its brother's danger, the other keys of the room began to fly towards the flying Gryffindor, striking him a number of times with their blunt but still hard metal edges. Cursing to himself, Harry flew as fast as he could towards where his friends where, dropping the key off with his friends as he continued to distract the keys flying after him.

Catching his meaning, Hermione shoved the key into the door and let the boys through, "Hurry! Come on get through!"

Harry spotted his friends going through the door and shot straight towards it. Hermione, sensing what he was about to do, stepped behind the door, allowing Harry to fly straight into the next room, just as she shut the door with a thud as the sounds of hundreds of flying keys impacting the door came through.

"Far out, that was mental, I hope Wood doesn't get any ideas from this" Harry joked as he hopped off his broom,

Ron gave his friend a pat on the back as he came over to him, "That was brilliant, bloody brilliant!",

"Yeah, well done Hazza" Alec added,

"Brilliant flying Harry!" Hermione congratulated,

Harry shook his head, blushing slightly, "It was nothing, really", He told them, "What's next anyway?"

Standing in front of them was a large chess set, with life-size pieces spread across the room size board. Ron stared on in wonder, loving the setup. Harry couldn't help but remember the fond memories he had of versing Ron at wizard's chess in the Gryffindor common room during their spare nights. This set however looked much more imposing, and dangerous.

"Blimey, this is brilliant" Ron said, "Look at this set up, I wish we could have something like this at home!"

"So, what exactly do we have to do here?" Alec asked, "Just cross it or something?"

Walking onto the board and heading straight for the other side, Alec was quickly stopped as two large pawns unsheathed their weapons and held them at guard against the young Gryffindor, "Well, guess we're not going that way" Alec mused out loud,

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Hermione said, "We have to play the game and win in order to cross!"

Harry looked around at his friends, "Are you sure?" he asked, "I mean, wizards' chess is brutal at the best of times. I don't exactly want to be hit by a flying stone sword",

Ron nodded his head in agreement, "That probably would be quite painful if I'm honest"

Looking around the board, the group noticed that a number of pieces were missing, "Look, I think we have to be the pieces!" Ron exclaimed,

"Harry, you go be that Bishop over there! Alec, replace that Rook over there, Hermione, you take the other!" Ron dished out orders like a general, "And I'll…be a knight!"

Ron, ever the strategist, embarked on a great battle between their chosen black army against their opposing white army. Ordering his troops around like any general would, he tried hard not to lose any of his friends, knowing full well that they would be in serious pain were they too be taken. 10 minutes into the game and half of the white army's pieces had already been taken, however the black army had also lost their fair share of troops. Ron knew that he needed to wrap things up quickly in order for them to grab the stone in time.

In his rush to finish, Ron started to make mistakes. His first mistake came when Alec became the target of the white army's queen, who took Alec off of the field by throwing him out of the board, his chest impacting with the ground.

"ALEC!" Harry called out, "Are you alright!"

Alec let out a low moan as he propped himself up against the chamber wall, "All good mate" He called back, "Just a few broken rips I think",

"Sorry about that mate!" Ron called out rather sheepishly,

Waving his hand in dismissal, Alec shut his eyes to try and block out the pain. Continuing on with the game, Ron decided it best not to sacrifice his friends again, in fear that they would suffer any other injuries. However, in his attempt to protect his friends, Ron forget about himself, and on his final move before he could get Harry to checkmate the king, he realised his dilemma.

"Harry…if you move diagonally four spaces, you'll be able to checkmate the king" Ron told his friend,

Hermione, examining the board, let out a gasp, "But Ron, that will leave you open to the queen!"

"That's chess Hermione, we have to win this! Otherwise the stone is lost!", Ron said "Do it Harry, checkmate the king!"

Harry nodded to his friend as he moved to his position, ready to set up the final blow. As expected, the white queen made her way over to Ron before smashing his horse which he was riding, into tiny little bits, sending the young Gryffindor flying. Ron landed with a thump near the edge of the board, before the queen dragged him all the way off next to Alec before returning to her own position.

"RON! RON!" Hermione shouted out, "ARE YOU OKAY!"

Ron made no answer as he laid on his back next to Alec, "He's breathing guys, don't worry!" Alec called back to reassure his friends,

Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she focused back onto the game. Turning and facing Harry, she gave him an affirmative nod as Harry made his way over to his second position, checkmating the white king. The sword which the king held fell with an almighty thump as the game ended and the pieces collapsed in on themselves. Without wasting anytime, Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and dragged her through to the next room.

"Supposedly these were all set up by the teachers" Hermione said, "So we've had Sprouts, Flitwick's and McGonagall's, now we just have Quirrell and Snape",

They guessed that the next room they entered had to be Quirrell's, as an unconscious but still very much alive…and stench intensive…troll 'guarded' the doorway to the next room, "Well, that takes care of Quirrell's" Harry quipped,

Making their way into the next room, flames suddenly sprouted out of the floor from the door they just entered and the doorway to the front of them, black in front of them, purple behind. Set in the middle of the room was a large wooden table, with a number of full potion vials scattered in order on top of it. As the bottom of the table was a small piece of paper, which Hermione picked up and read aloud,

" _Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind. Two of us will help you, whichever you would find, one among us seven will let you move ahead, another will transport the drinker back instead, two among our number hold only nettle wine, three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line. Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore, to help you in your choice, we give you these clues four: First, however slyly the poison tries to hide, you will always find some on nettle wine's left side; Second, different are those who stand at either end, But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend; Third, as you see clearly, all are different size, neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides; fourth, the second left and the second on the right are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."_

"I suck at puzzles at the best of times" Harry sighed

Hermione let out a chuckle, "Good thing I'm here then hey"

Hermione read over the note again, looking amongst the vials of potions and poisons that laid in wait. Eventually, she picked a small bottle from the table, "This one, this will get you through the black flames" she told Harry,

Harry looked at the tiny bottle, "There's only enough for one of us, and we both know there's no way I'm letting you go alone"

"And why should you go alone then!" Hermione scolded him nervously,

"Because, you need to go and grab those two dunderheads back there and go grab help" Harry said, "If Voldemort is really in there, I can't win that battle, I'll need help"

Hermione nodded her head, "This one, this will take the drinker back through the flames" She told him, "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive"

Nodding her head, Hermione dashed forward and wrapped Harry in a hug, "You're brilliant Harry, don't ever forget that"

"Coming from the brightest witch of our age, I'll take that as a compliment" Harry chuckled as he returned the hug,

"HA! Books and knowledge, not bravery and courage like you Harry" Hermione told him, "Be safe, whatever you do"

Nodding his head, Harry took the potion that would get the drinker through the purple flames and gave it to Hermione, "You first"

Nodding her head, Hermione gulped the potion down in one swig, shuddering as it went down her throat, "It's like ice, it's freezing"

"Go on now, go and grab help!" Harry ordered her,

"I will, be safe Harry!" Hermione called out as she made her way through the purple flames and disappeared.

Taking the other small vial of potion, Harry gulped his down with one swig as well, shuddering as Hermione did at the ice-cold feeling. Knowing full well that there was nothing left to do but to face the thief, Harry marched his way through the black flames to face the culprit.

Harry's fears and suspicions had been proven the very moment he stepped into the next chamber. Standing in front of a mirror, was the turban wrapped head of one Professor Quirrell, he sat there in front of the Mirror, muttering to himself. Noticing Harry in the Mirror, the Professor swiftly turned around, wand in hand, to face the boy,

"Harry Potter, come to be a hero have you" Quirrell japed,

"So, it was you all along, I had my suspicions you know" Harry said, "Never thought it would really be the useless defence teacher however"

Quirrell's eye twitched at the insult but stood steadfast none the less, "Ah yes, the useless, poor s-stuttering p-professor Quirrell. The worst ruse I've ever had to play",

"So why do you want the stone professor, looking for long life" Harry asked,

"Wouldn't you like to know boy!"

"Suppose I do, don't I?",

Quirrell sneered at the boy, "Always ever the attention seeker, first there was your little stunt with the troll at Halloween, then you had to go and get your friends to stop me from throwing you off your broom",

"Guess I'm lucky I have good friends then hey",

"Luck!" Quirrell sneered, "You think luck is what stopped my master and I from ending you! Oh no, there are greater powers at play here",

"What other powers?" Harry said, "What are you on about?",

"Never you mind boy, what matters now is the stone!",

Harry chuckled a little, "So go grab it then", He took a step forward, "Or maybe you're not smart enough to actually figure out how to",

Quirrell flared with anger before a disembodied voice came from the back of his turban, "The boy, use the boy!" It hissed,

Following the instructions of the voice, he grabbed Harry and pushed him in front of the mirror in the middle of the room. As he got closer, Harry realised that the mirror was in fact the mirror of Esired.

"Where is it!" Quirrell snarled, "Where is the stone!",

Harry looked closely at the mirror image of himself, who smiled at him and placed a finger to his lips to silence him, before his hand went down to his pocket where it was revealed the stone was hiding inside. Frantically, Harry carefully felt the pocket the stone had come from, surprised to find that the stone was in fact in his pocket. Unable to understand why, Harry knew he had to lie,

"What do you see boy! What do you see!" Quirrell shook Harry's shoulders roughly,

"I see my parents…and I've become head boy, winner of the house cup and Quidditch cup! Blimey!",

Quirrell, angered by this response, pushed Harry aside, "Out of the way boy! Where is it! Where is it!",

Harry tumbled back, landing on the steps leading back to the chamber behind him. The voice from behind the turban spoke once more as Quirrell desperately searched for the stone, "He is lying! The boy it lying!",

Quirrell turned to face Harry, anger in his eyes as he glared straight towards him, "Where is it! Where is the stone!",

"Leave the boy to me" The voice from the turban hissed again,

Quirrell looked to his side, "But master, you are not strong enough yet!",

"I have strength for this",

Harry watched on in terror as Quirrell reached up into his turban and slowly began to unwind it from around his head. A small silent scream of terror came out of his mouth as a face was revealed reflecting off the mirror from the back of Quirrell's head. The face was snake like, with slits instead of a nose, and piercing, hate filled, Blood red eyes. Harry's scar burned in fury, realising then that he was staring into the face of the man that had murdered his parents all those years ago.

"So, Harry Potter, we meet again" The face spoke,

Harry found his courage somewhere deep inside him to answer the face, "Voldemort I presume?"

Quirrell snapped his head towards the boy, "You have no right to call the dark lord by his name!",

"I've got every right to call him whatever I bloody well want after what he did to my parents!" Harry shouted back,

The face hissed once more, "Your parents were nothing but worthless ants on a playing field much too large for them both!",

"DON'T YOU TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS LIKE THAT!",

"Quirrell! Grab the boy, he was the stone, I can sense it",

Following his master's orders once more, Quirrell moved to attack Harry physically. Harry, in a desperate defence, shot off red sparks in Quirrell's path, who merely covered his face as the sparks flew past. Getting more desperate, Harry shot off a leg locker jinx, only to have Quirrell deflect it with a well-placed shield charm.

"This is where you die Harry Potter!" Quirrell sneered as he grabbed Harry by the wrist.

Almost instantly, Quirrell's hand began to burn bright red, and the defence teacher withdrew his hand away from Harry's flesh, screaming in pain.

"You fool! Grab the boy!" The face hissed,

Quirrell lunged at Harry, knocking him once more to the ground, his hands around Harry's throat, even though his hands burnt like flesh in a pot of boiling water. Harry was frightened of dying for the first time in his life, and he knew then that he had to act, lest he die alone in this chamber. Reaching up, Harry placed his hands on Quirrell's face, holding on as tight as possible. Quirrell screamed out in agony as Harry's hands dug themselves into his face, turning his face bright red with burns. Eventually, the professor could take the pain no more, and backed away from Harry, who watched on in terror and curiosity as the professor disintegrated before his very eyes.

Harry stood up as the last ashes of his former defence teacher piled onto the ground. Examining the pile, Harry felt a pang of sadness over the life that had just been lost. He couldn't help but feel pity for the poor man, who was obviously under duress. Before Harry could ponder anymore however, a deep black shade sprang forth from the pile of ashes, circling the room before ploughing straight through the middle of Harry. Harry felt the life drain from him that instant, falling to the ground in pain, not even realising the scream that was coming from his own mouth. That last thing Harry saw, was a billowing cloak of purple float over him as he felt himself lift off from the ground.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

The first thing Harry felt when he finally woke up was a splitting headache that was tearing through his head, from front to back. Slowly opening his eyes, Harry looked around at his surroundings, realising then that he was in the hospital wing, a room he had visited many times during his Quidditch season. Looking around, the first face that greeted him was that of Professor Dumbledore, who smiled at him through his half-moon glasses.

"How are you feeling Harry?",

Harry sat up a little, stretching his muscles in his arms as he did, "I've felt better Professor, what happened?",

Dumbledore smiled at the young Gryffindor, "I do believe, that in short terms, you have now defeated Voldemort twice in your short life",

"Really?" Harry said, "The last thing I remember was passing out as some…spirit…flew through me",

"Interesting, can you tell me Harry, what happened down there?",

Harry nodded his head as he started to tell the headmaster everything that had happened in the last few days. He recalled the trials they went through, which impressed the headmaster that a group of first years succeeded in overcoming the defences set up by the staff. However, when Harry revealed that it was Professor Quirrell who was to blame, Dumbledore merely nodded,

"I had my suspicions that it was indeed Professor Quirrell, however what you have just said confirms my suspicions",

"Professor, when I touched Quirrell, it…it burned him" Harry said, "I think that's what killed him",

The last part brought Harry into a melancholy mood as he remembered he has just taken a life. Sensing his troubles, Dumbledore placed a hand on the boy's shoulder,

"Harry, what happened last night was not your fault" Dumbledore said, "However, I do believe that the reason Professor Quirrell could not touch you is because the night your parents were murdered by Voldemort, as he tried to destroy both you and your sister, your mother sacrificed herself trying to save you, and in the process created a magical bond which serves as a protection for both you and your sister",

Harry nodded his head as he listened to his headmaster, "So he couldn't touch me because Voldemort was part of him, and my mum gave me and Rose protection against him?",

"I do believe you are correct Mr Potter" Dumbledore said, "Quirrell was burned because he could never touch something so pure as yourself",

"Thank you, Professor, for explaining everything", Harry said, "Do you think Voldemort is really gone?",

Dumbledore shook his head, "I do not believe he is gone, no" he said, "However, I believe that for now…Voldemort is indeed not a threat",

"Sir, one last thing, if you don't mind?" Harry asked,

"Of course, I do not mind, ask away Harry",

Harry smiled at his headmaster, "Why are people afraid to say his name? Voldemort that is",

"Ah, therein lies the questions Harry, to fear a name is to fear the man himself", Dumbledore said, "If we do not fear the name, we do not give the wearer the power over of fear over yourself. People were afraid of Voldemort all through his time of power. In fact, Voldemort himself put a taboo on the name, revealing the person who uttered his name to Voldemort, thus dooming themselves to confrontation with either his followers or himself. That fear has carried on, even now, when he is gone from our society".

"Thank you, Professor, for answering my question" Harry said, "Uhm, are my friends okay by the way?",

Dumbledore nodded his head, "Indeed they are, I do believe that they are very excited to see you" He told Harry, "Which is why I must now leave you, and let your friends have their time with you",

Getting up from Harry's bed, Dumbledore turned from the room, shooting Harry a smile before he left the room, opening the door to allow Harry's friends to run, or limp in Ron's case, over to Harry's bed. Hermione was the first to reach Harry, wrapping her arms around him in a crushing hug as her bushy brown hair smothering him,

"Her-mion-e…can't…breath!" Harry tried to breath,

Hermione let go with a sheepish smile, "I'm so glad you're okay Harry! We were so worried",

"Yeah mate, glad you're okay. Heard you gave old Voldy an arse kicking as well" Alec said as he came over and slapped his friend on the back,

Ron was the next to make it over to Harry, "How you feelin' mate?"

Harry smirked at his best mate, "Not too bad, how about you, you took a fair knockin' back there",

"Madam Pomfey reckons I'll be limping for a bit, but apart from that I'm all good to go" Ron smiled at his mate,

"So, what happened to the stone?" Harry asked,

"Professor Dumbledore took it and destroyed it with Nicholas Flamel, after he made enough elixir to finish up whatever they need to" Hermione explained, "Flamel and his wife were quite happy to finally destroy the stone",

Harry nodded his head, "That's good, at least we won't have to worry about anyone stealing it again",

Harry and his friends laughed as they realised that they had finally finished their mission, protecting the stone from the threat of Voldemort and his minion Quirrell. Pomfey cleared Harry to leave the hospital wing Sunday afternoon, allowing Harry to go off to the end of year feast with his friends. Word has spread around the school like wildfire that Harry and his friends had been involved with saving the school from Quirrell, who was said to be acting alone to steal the stone.

Harry and his friends enjoyed the spring sunshine as they sat outside underneath the trees, chatting amongst themselves, Harry and Ron enjoying a game of wizard's chess as Alec and Hermione sat and read books. Alec had recently taken to reading books on the history of magic and the wizarding world. Hermione on the other hand was busy reading a book on advanced charms which she had gotten from the library.

That night, the group of friends made their way to the Great Hall, where the end of year feast and the house cup would be awarded. Currently, Gryffindor sat at last place, with Slytherin leading, hence why the hall was decked with emerald and silver, along with the Slytherin snake banners that hung from the ceiling. Harry couldn't help but scrawl at the banners as the jeers came from the Slytherin table, mainly directed towards the Lions on the other side. Harry's house had still not forgiven them for Ron and himself losing the 100 points for being caught out of bed. Sitting down next to Seamus, Dean and Neville, the group of friends started talking amongst themselves, Neville still rather cautious to talk to Hermione after she jinxed him the night before.

The student body came to silence as Dumbledore stood up and silenced the room by raising his hands, "Once again, we come to another end of year at Hogwarts, I hope you have all learnt as much as you could, and are ready to leave us tomorrow, only to come back with empty heads for us teachers to fill again!',

"As we can see, Slytherin is currently in the lead, and is set to win the house cup",

A cheer erupted from the Slytherin table and Professor Snape smirked towards McGonagall, "Yes, yes, congratulations Slytherin, you have worked well this year, however, recent events must be taken into account!",

Harry and his friends perked up at hearing this, "To Alexander Henderson, 30 Points, for determined friendship and dedication to his friends!" The Gryffindor's erupted into cheer,

"To Ronald Weasley, 30 points, for the best game of Wizard's chess I have seen in decades!", again, the Lions erupted into in cheer. The Slytherin's began to sneer and jeer at the Gryffindor's.

"To Hermione Granger, 30 points, for cool, collected reasoning and wisdom in the face of danger and threat", the cheers from the Gryffindor's were getting louder now, as they almost surpassed the points lost by Harry and Ron, however they still needed another 55 points to beat the points accumulated by Slytherin.

"To Harry Potter, 50 points, for bravery and courage in the face of danger itself", the walls of the Great Hall shook as the cheers from the Gryffindor's grew even louder.

"And lastly, it takes great courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more courage to stand up to your friends. 10 points, to Neville Longbottom",

The Gryffindor table erupted into cheer, along with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff table as they all realised that Slytherin's winning streak was finally broken. The Slytherin's could only sneer and shout in outrage as the house cup was taken from them.

"I do believe that means we need a change in decoration!" Dumbledore called out, and with a flick of his wand, the emerald and silver turned into Burgundy and gold, and the snake banners turned into lion banners.

McGonagall smirked at Snape as he scrawled at her as Dumbledore handed the cup to the head of Gryffindor.

"Now, without further ado, please! Dig in and enjoy yourself!" and with that, the tables were magically piled with mountains of food for the hungry student body to enjoy. Alec, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and most importantly Neville, were cheered and congratulated by their fellow Gryffindor's, who shouted their names in praise.

"Well done Potter!"

"Nice one Weasley!"

"Way to go Neville!"

"You're the best Alec!"

"Brightest witch of our age that Hermione!",

These comments were a stark comparison to those that were being thrown around just after Harry and Ron had lost the 100 points earlier in the term. Harry couldn't help but think that it was all rather superficial though, as the people who were calling these words of congratulations were the same who had thrown the insults. Smirking to himself, Harry was glad that at least his friends were the better of the house, and the school for that matter, and that they hadn't judged them on their actions like the others.

That night, Harry let his head hit his pillow of his bed with a thud as tiredness overtook him. He mused that this was a very exciting year for his first year, however he hoped that not every year was like this. He wondered what Rose's first year would be like when they returned in September, and if her year would be just as hectic. Smiling to himself, Harry was glad that his life had turned out for the better, that everything had turned out better than ever before for him and his sister. He had a family, friends, his godfather, and a school and world to explore and learn in for the rest of his life. Harry thought that right now, he could face Voldemort as many times as needed, so long as the world he had come to love was protected and safe.


	13. Home Again

**Home at last, Horses, a new room: Chapter 13**

Hogwarts would always hold a special place in Harry's heart. It was the first school that he had ever felt welcomed at, or actually enjoyed for that matter. It was a place that connected him with his parents and family, a place where he knew his family had walked the halls and sat in the classrooms. Hogwarts was even a home away from home, away from the warm, country house of the Evans, where his sister, grandparents and Godfather all lived. He would miss Hogwarts over the coming summer, but he could not deny the desire he felt to be back at home, with his family.

The swell of pride from Gryffindor's victory had not died down at all since the night before, and students were still praising Harry and his friends as they boarded the Hogwarts Express to head home. None were as proud as Professor McGonagall though, who, in a rare show of emotion, praised her four young Gryffindor's for their actions which saved the stone. She had been forced to admit that they were right in thinking the stone was threatened, and that the teachers had in no way suspected trouble from within their own ranks. Weren't it not for the actions of the golden four, as Harry and his friends had been titled, then the stone would of most likely been in the hands of a resurrected Voldemort and his minion Quirrell.

However, there was one member of staff who had not sung praise of the actions of the group. Snape had avoided Harry as much as possible since his release on Sunday afternoon, and even further once Gryffindor had secured a victory. Harry could not deny that this came as disappointment that his potions teacher had not wished him well in his success in either endeavours. Harry dismissed it as merely Snape being disappointed that Gryffindor had snatched the cup from out of Slytherins hands, and that their winning streak was finally destroyed. Harry had noticed however that the potions master would occasionally stare at him, with mixed emotions behind his eyes. Sometimes anger, sometimes disappointment, but Harry noticed that more often than not it was worry that plagued his eyes.

Harry's thoughts were broken as his friends roused him for a game of exploding snap,

"What's the matter Harry? You've been quiet ever since we left the station?" Hermione asked,

"What's on your mind mate?" Ron added,

Harry turned to his friends with a smile, "Nothing, it's okay. Just thinking about the year, that's all",

Alec looked at him suspiciously, "There's more to it than that isn't there?",

"Honestly, there really isn't" Harry shook his head, "Just thinking about how good it will be to see Rose again",

Harry hadn't lied, it would be good to see his little sister again, more so then anything, however there was more than that brooding in his mind,

"Harry, are you sure there's nothing you want to tell us?" Hermione said,

Harry looked at her for a moment before sighing, "I'm just disappointed Snape didn't even come to see me at all yesterday" He paused for a moment, "McGonagall did, Dumbledore did, even Flitwick and Sprout visited",

Hermione looked at him with care, "Maybe he was busy, or maybe he couldn't bear to see you hurt",

Ron snorted, "You're painting Snape to actually have emotions there Hermione",

Hermione shot him a venomous look, "Ron, you obviously haven't seen just how friendly Snape is with Harry",

"The whole school has noticed Ron" Alec nodded his head, "Even the teachers have noticed",

Ron shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly don't know then, why let it bother you though, at least he hadn't searched you out just to yell at you",

Harry chuckled lightly, "You're right about that at least",

"Come on you sour lot, let's play some exploding snap before we all drown in our own depression" Alec piped up,

The group of friends chuckled as Ron pulled out his deck of cards. The group sat there playing snap until the deck was combusted, leaving the friends to chat aimlessly once more. There were interrupted however when Neville came wandering into their compartment,

"H-hey guys, I just wanted to say thanks", Neville stammered,

The group looked up at him surprise, "Thanks for what Neville? We jinxed you" Harry answered,

"Hermione jinxed him you mean" Ron joked, shooting her a smirk as she glared back,

"Not for that. Thanks to you I got the winning points, and now people are treating me like a Gryffindor instead of a puff", Neville smiled at them,

"Well, you're welcome Neville. And once again, I'm sorry I had to jinx you", Hermione smiled sheepishly at him,

Neville brushed is off with a wave of his hand, "it's alright, no harm done" He chuckled, "Besides, I think it should be me apologizing for getting in your way",

"Nonsense, you did a very brave thing Neville" Alec said, "Like Dumbledore said, it takes even more courage to stand up to your friends",

Neville nodded his head in thanks before he said his farewells and went back to his own compartment.

"Funny bloke Neville" Ron said, "Wonder why he's so shy",

"He hasn't exactly had the best upbringing you know" Hermione rolled her eyes, "he lives with his grandmother who is apparently very strict",

"That's one word for her" Alec added, "Madam Longbottom is not someone you want to mess with, even dads afraid of her",

Before any of the four friends could say anything more, there was a sudden sound of the compartment door opening. Turning to face their visitor, all faces turned into glares as they eyed up their company,

"What do you want Malfoy", Harry said,

Said Slytherin smiled smugly at the young Gryffindor, "I've just come to see how our latest celebrity is doing",

"Latest celebrity?" Alec said, "Where have you been for the last 10 years?",

Ron let out a snort, "Blimey Malfoy, and here I was thinkin' you had some brains",

Malfoy shot Ron a scathing glare, "Shut it weasel. Next time you and your friends won't be so lucky",

Hermione rolled her eyes, "If you don't have anything productive to say Malfoy, would you kindly leave",

"Was I talking to you mudblood" Malfoy sneered,

Whether it was a slip of the tongue or just a brain fart, the young Slytherin had no idea, as he was soon greeted with a number of hexes and jinxes from the three boys.

"Who did the boils?" Ron asked,

"That'd be mine mate" Alec answered,

Ron nodded his head in approval, "Nice one, now, let's get this rubbish out of here",

The three boys pushed the moaning body of Draco out of their compartment before shutting the door and pulling the blinds down.

Hermione looked at the three boys appreciably, "What would I do without you three boys",

"Probably find someone else to terrorize at exam time" Harry chuckled,

Hermione shot him a half glare as she failed to hide her smile, "You'd have all failed without me",

"More like we would have been spared heart attacks", Ron smirked,

It wasn't long before the group of friends found themselves pulling into Kings Cross station, where families of students lined the platform, waving and smiling at their loved ones who stuck their heads out the windows. Harry failed to find his family in the crowd of many, deciding to find them once they were off the train.

Grabbing his trunk and Hedwig's cage, the latter hooting affectionally as she realised where they were going, Harry made his way off the train, following Ron and Hermione whilst Alec brought up the rear. Scanning the crowd, Harry only just spotted the spot of auburn hair before it impacted into his body. Wrapping his arms around his sister, Harry pulled Rose into a tight loving hug as she buried herself into his chest,

"Welcome home you big boof" Rose murmured through his chest,

"Good to be home Sis" Harry ran his hand through her hair,

Retreating from his chest, Rose peered up at her brother with a smile, "You've grown taller" she smiled,

"You've shrunk" Harry joked,

"Shut it you" Rose punched her brother in the arm,

Wrapping an arm around his sister as she took Hedwig in her cage, Harry and Rose made their way over to where Juni was waiting for them along with Molly. Ron, the twins and Percy had already made their way to their mother. However, it was the youngest Weasley Harry was on the lookout for, and he found her, nestled in between her mother and eldest brother. Looking over towards Ginny, they made eye contact, smiling towards each other as they realised they had found each other. Harry's heart once more lurched as he caught himself becoming breathless at the sight of Ginny. Breaking away from her family, Ginny made her way over to Harry and Rose.

"Hey Gin, miss me?" Harry smirked, his heart pounding inside of him.

Ginny didn't answer, instead she whacked him on the arm and then gave him a bone-crushing hug,

"Always have to be hero don't you" She looked up at him, "Stop being a stupid hero, you could have died".

Her face held a smile as little tears appeared in her eyes, "What can I say, I have a hero complex" Harry joked,

Rose nudged him in the arm, "Well you can cut it out right now mister",

Harry only gave his sister a kiss on the head as he steered her towards their grandmother, taking Ginny's hand as they walked. On arriving at their grandmother, Harry noticed that there was a shaggy black border collie tied with a leash around its neck, which was currently held up Juni. Harry had to stop for a moment before he broke out into laughter.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Harry laughed as he made his way over to his godfather, "How on earth did you end up like this!"

Sirius barked as he gave Harry the stink eye, "Oh this is too good" Harry chuckled,

"Arthur advised keeping him away from the media for a while" Juni said as she came over and hugged her grandson, "It's good to have you home sweetheart",

Harry returned the embrace before smiling up at his grandmother, who almost was level with him,

"So, this is how you get around the media these days is it Padfoot?" Harry laughed,

"He wasn't too keen on the idea in the first-place trust me" Rose said,

As if to voice his discontent, Sirius let out a loud bark, drawing attention towards the group,

"Shush Sirius, you'll draw unwanted attention you silly old mutt" Juni scolded,

Sirius flapped his ears down from the verbal punishment, whining a little before finally nudging Harry's hand. Harry absentmindedly scratched him behind the ear, causing the Animagus to whine in pleasure.

"Well then, if you've said all your goodbyes, I reckon it's about time to head off" Juni told her grandson,

Harry turned to Ginny, who was still holding his hand, and flashed her a brilliant smile, "Well, guess I better let you get back to your mum and brothers. Are you going to be around tomorrow?",

"Definitely, Rose and I already planned something anyway" Ginny replied, a smile and blush on her face,

Nodding his head, Harry released Ginny's hand and sent her on her way. He spied Ron waiting with his family for Ginny and waved over to them, "See you back at home hey mate!",

"Sounds good mate, see you there!" Ron gave his friend a thumbs up,

Harry spied around for Hermione, however he was unable to see her, most likely she'd gone home already with her muggle parents. Alec too was already off of the platform and away. Leaving no one else to say goodbye too, Harry gave his grandmother the all clear to head off. Making their way through the barrier separating the wizarding station and the muggle, eyes began to converge on them over both Hedwig and Sirius. Sirius merely minded his own business, with his tongue flopping out of his mouth. Finally making their way through to where Juni had parked up their old Chevrolet Impala, Harry helped Sirius hop into the front passenger seat, causing many a passer-by to shoot them a dirty look. Rose helped Harry haul his trunk into the boot of the car before settling into the back of the car with Hedwig.

"Alright Sirius, I think you're in the clear if you want to change back" Rose said,

Barking one last time, Sirius looked around as well to check if the coast was clear before changing back into his human form.

"Ah! Much better" Sirius said, "You have no idea how hot it can get with all that fur",

Turning around to greet his godson, Sirius beamed a wide smile at him, "Welcome back Pup, how'd your first year go then",

Harry snorted "Besides facing down Voldemort again, yeah it was pretty good",

Sirius chuckled a little whilst Rose elbowed her brother in the side, "Well I'm glad it was a memorable one at least" Sirius beamed at him,

"What about you pads, been up to much?" Harry asked,

"Besides looking after your loving little sister and that crush of yours Ginny, nothing at all" Sirius chuckled,

Harry blushed at hearing Ginny be called his crush, knowing full well it was reciprocated feelings.

"Truth be told pup, I'm trying to get into the DMLE, or maybe even the Aurors" Sirius said,

"The Aurors? Why'd you wanna join them?" Harry asked,

"It's the best thing for me really" Sirius said, "With the Order of the Phoenix not needed for the moment, and no dark lords to rebel against, I got to do what I did best",

"Which is?" Rose chuckled,

Sirius laughed at his goddaughter, "Which is being a good dueller, something the Aurors need",

The group chatted idly amongst themselves for the trip back home, stopping on the way to grab some drinks and snacks from a local petrol station. Before long, the all too familiar white walls of the Evans home came into view, and Harry sighed in contentment as he finally arrived back home. Grabbing his trunk from the boot, Harry stepped into pace with Rose as they followed their grandmother and godfather up to the house. Harry noticed that the fields around the house were just about ready to be harvested, with grains of Barley and wheat sticking up like stalks from their roots in the ground.

As if reading his mind, Juni looked over her shoulder at her grandson and smiled, "Your grandpa will probably want a hand with the fields in a couple weeks' time" She told him, "I'll get you to give him a hand, and maybe Sirius here…if he can stop being a dog for a few minutes",

Sirius gave her a broad smile as he laughed jovially, "I'd be more than happy to help Alex out, especially if he just so happened to buy some sheep",

"You're not turning into a sheepdog Sirius" Rose called from behind,

"Killjoy" Sirius chuckled,

Making their way into the house, Rose and Harry ascended the stairs to their room where they chucked Harry's belonging around the room, and let Hedwig out to fly around outside, most likely finding Zeus in the process.

"It feels good to be home" Harry said as he flopped onto the bed,

Rose followed suit and flopped onto her side of the bed, "Feels good to have you home",

Harry rolled over and smiled at his little sister, "Next time it'll be the pair of us going, no one left behind",

"I can hardly wait" Rose smiled,

"So, have you sorted out your own room yet?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "You mean your room, because there's no way I'm moving out of here",

Harry copied her in rolling his eyes, "Fine, have you sorted out where _I'm_ sleeping",

"No, not yet, although there were talking with Sirius about magically expanding the house to add another room on" Rose said,

"You can do that?"

Rose nodded her head, "Apparently, but you need an expert to do it, AKA not Sirius",

Harry chuckled, "We'll talk to Gran and Grandpa about it, Sirius as well",

"So…how's your friend Alec?"

"Fine, why do you ask" Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively,

Rolling her eyes, Rose slapped her brother on the arm, "Because I fancy him you dingus",

"Oh, so you admit it now do you?",

"I thought you figured that out ages ago" Rose chuckled, "And they call you smart",

Harry rolled his eyes, "We both know that's a lie",

Rose stroked her brother's cheek, "It couldn't be further from a lie, you're the smartest person I know, myself included",

"Don't count yourself out yet" Harry smiled,

Rose turned onto her back, "We'll just have to wait and see then hey".

Later that night, as the two Potter siblings slept on, Harry begin to become restless in his sleep. His thoughts kept drifting off to Quirrell and the stone and the fact that he had killed someone, even if it was self-defence. Harrys eyes sprung open as he finally had enough, deciding to go downstairs and just read for a bit. Quietly slipping out of bed as to not wake Rose, Harry snuck down the staircase and into the lounge room, where the silhouetted figure of his grandfather was stoking the fireplace, bringing the fire back to life.

"Grandpa? What are you doing up?" Harry walked over and took a seat near the fire,

Alex turned to give his grandson a small smile, "I could ask you the same thing my boy, but if you must know, I have restless nights from time to time" A faraway look crossed Alex's face before it left again, "What about you my darling man, what are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about Quirrell…how I killed him…" Harry shuddered at the thought,

Alex sat up and sat next to his grandson, wrapping an arm around him, "It's not easy taking a life, and it doesn't surprise me that you're thinking about it. You shouldn't have had to gone through all that…but you did and nothing's going to change that".

"I just feel so…disgusting. How am I any better than Voldemort. Quirrell may have been possessed but he was still innocent," Harry let a small sob escape his throat,

"Harry let me tell you something. I was 17 when I signed up for the army, back in 1943. At the time I thought I was doing the right thing, I still believe it, but back then I thought it was going to be some grand adventure…but it wasn't" Alex told him,

"You fought in the war?" Harry asked,

Alex nodded his head slowly, "I did…from D-Day all the way to Germany. I must've killed dozens of men, some of them deserved it sure, but most of them were just for survival. War is like that Harry, taking a life shouldn't be glorious, it's bloody and brutal."

"What do you mean some deserved it?" Harry asked with a small voice,

"Well…some of the Germans we fought were part of the SS, Hitler's elite soldiers. One time when we were passing through a German town, we found…boys…some as young as you, hanging on the telephone and power poles. The SS had come through the day before, demanding the boys be drafted…the town refused and so they hung them all" Alex gulped as he remembered the memory, "So when my company moved through, we asked if the men who did it were still nearby. They were. They were camping in a nearby woods…so in the middle of the night we ambushed them and killed them all",

Harry gulped at the thought, "And they deserved it?",

"We believed so yes. They took the lives of young boys who had so much life to look forward to. They had no right to do so. So, we punished them. People like Voldemort, like those SS soldiers…they don't get to decide who lives and who dies…only God does, or whoever is up there. So, don't feel bad for their deaths, but don't celebrate it either" Alex dried one of Harrys tears with his thumb, "Remember the people whose lives they took, that is the ultimate insult to them. And those that died to secure your survival…people like Quirrell, or the German soldiers I fought and killed, remember that they won't suffer anymore…that their death will be mourned".

"I think I understand" Harry told his Grandfather, "But I still feel so…wrong about it",

Alex nodded his head, "And so you should. It means you're human…that you care and that makes you better then Voldemort and the people who like killing. My best advice to you my darling boy, is to remember what I told you and live your life to the fullest in the memory of those that have died",

Harry nodded his head, "Thanks Grandpa. Is that why you're still up?".

"Yes, it's part of the reason I'm up, yes" Alex took a steadying breath, "I saw a lot of horrible things over there Harry…some things that you're much too young to know about yet".

"Alright Grandpa. Thanks for everything. I better get back up there and get some sleep",

Alex gave Harry a kiss to his forehead, "That sounds like a wonderful plan sweetling. Go have pleasant dreams",

Harry smiled at his grandfather as he made his way back up to his room, leaving Alex alone by the fire. "Oh Harry…why is it always the young ones".

The next few days for Harry and Rose were ones of peace and tranquillity. Sirius and the Weasleys discussed the creation of another room at the Evans home, deciding it would be best to bring in an expert rather than attempt the charms and transfiguration themselves. Sirius insisted that he pay for it, stating that ' _my family was filthy rich, let me spend it on something good and wholesome for once'_. Talks of constructing a barn were also in the works, with Alex and Sirius talking about enlisting the Weasley boys and Harry to help set it up. Harvest season was nearly upon them, and Alex wanted to get a barn up to keep some animals in the coming winter.

Whilst constructions went around the Evans residence, Juni and Rose were busy going off to other Muggle farms in order to buy some work horses that they could use around the farm. Alex was old fashioned, and tended to use old horse-drawn ploughs instead of the modern combine harvesters and tractors, both of which they couldn't afford. Rose was persistent that they buy a Shetland Pony, something that she had always dreamt about when she was a little girl. Juni eventually caved in to her granddaughter after one farm offered a lame Shetland pony for an incredibly cheap price. The small male Shetland had a limp in his front left leg, making him virtually worthless for any kind of work, and only suited for riding. Rose was ecstatic when her Grandmother agreed to the price, running after him straight away to go and see him. She feasted her eyes on one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen, a beautiful brown coated Shetland, stubby, stout, and with a beautiful dark brown swishing tail to compliment his dark eyes and mane.

"I think I'll name you… Paulo…Paulomiles…Paul…that's a good name hey boy? Little Knight?"

As if to agree, said pony huffed before butting his head into Rose's outstretched hand,

Paulomiles, or _Littleknight,_ or as the others called him…Paul…was welcomed into the fold of Evans and Potters as an equal amongst the other working horses that they had bought. All up, they bought another four horses, a Brown Clydesdale Stallion, and a beautiful white Irish Drought Mare, a jet-black Australian Stock Horse Stallion, and a dark chocolate Auvergne Mare. The four horses would be used around the farm to help plough the fields, harvest, and of course for pleasure riding. Harry quite liked the Stock Horse, finding its jet-black coat a common feature between the two of them. Rose however was persistent on keeping little Paul. The family sat around the table that night, discussing who wanted which horse for pleasure riding, and what did they want to name them.

Harry decided on naming the Stock Horse _Courage,_ after all, both of them were courageous individuals. Alex bagged the Clydesdale, naming him Churchill, after the British war time Muggle Prime Minister. Juni decided on the Irish Drought and the Auvergne, naming the Drought Blath, Irish for flower and the Auvergne, Antionette, after Madame De Pompadour. Whilst the barn was being constructed, the horses stayed out in a makeshift stable made of old wooden planks and tarp, since the nights were warm and the days even warmer. However, it didn't take long until the barn was up and ready.

Alex had recruited Sirius and Arthur, as well as Percy and the twins, to help him build the structure. Alex planned the barn layout, bought the materials and supervised, otherwise he let the five wizards go about magically constructing the structure, much to Arthurs enjoyment. Thus, a week into the summer holidays, the barn was completed, and the horses of the Evans farm could move in to their new home.

"I love magic", Harry said,

Rose and Harry were just watching the last sploshes of paint be magically applied to the barn by the twins, who had fun splashing themselves with paint as much as the wall,

"It's fantastic, all this" Rose pointed to the barn, "Done in less than a couple of days",

Harry chuckled, "Just think, a year ago we were still stuck in a cupboard underneath the stairs",

"Now look at us hey Harry", Rose gave her brother a warm smile,

Their thoughts were interrupted when two redheads made their way over from the house,

"Heya Harry, Hey Rose, whatcha up to?" Ron called out to his friends,

Ginny accompanied her brother, smiling broadly at her best friend and crush,

"So, when can we see the new horses Harry?" Ginny smiled,

Harry rolled his eyes as they approached, "We can go see them now if you really want".

Ginny let out a squeal as the young Potters guided their friends into the now complete barn,

"HEY GEORGE! FRED! WANNA SEE THE HORSES!" Rose shouted out to the paint drenched twins,

"Bloody hell, of course we would!" The twins replied in unison,

Leading their friends in, Harry and Rose stopped at the entrance to Pauls pen, opening the gate to let everyone in,

"Hey there Paul, got some friends for you" Rose cooed as she stroked her pony's mane,

Ginny made her way over next to her friend, "You named him Paul?" Ginny raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"No silly, that's his short name" Rose chuckled, "His name is Paulomiles… _littleknight_ ",

"I was about to say, I thought Ginny was bad at naming pets" Ron snorted,

Ginny shot him a murderous glare, "And pray tell what are these bad names I supposedly give, dear brother",

Ron looked at his older twin brothers, "Well…you did name that _rat_ Scabbers" Fred Said,

"And then there was that group of slugs you named Harold I through to VI" George added,

"And let's not forget that stray cat we had for a while she named Mr Growly" Ron added,

Ginny whacked her brothers on the arm, "Alright alright, we get the point",

Harry smiled at Ginny as she made eye contact with him, "What's wrong with Mr Growly?" Harry asked,

Ginny blushed as she continued to pet Paul, "So, what other horses do you have?" Ron asked,

Rose and Harry lead them through the stables, stopping outside Churchills pen, then Blath's, Antionette's and finally Courage's.

"This here is Courage, my horse" Harry introduced them,

Rose stood next to her brother and petted the jet-black stallion, "Not quite as cute as Paul but still beautiful" Rose shot Harry a grin, "Bit like me and Harry",

Harry smirked back, "Rose, you shouldn't insult yourself in front of me",

The Weasleys kids let out numerous hollers and whistles at the young Potters comeback. Ginny joined Rose in smacking Harry on the arm, albeit much lighter than the one delivered by his sister.

"Alright alright I get the picture, hit me anymore and I'll be black and blue" Harry whined,

Rose smirked up at her brother, "Serves you right",

"Anyway, why don't we go for a ride you lot" Harry said,

The group of friends let out their sounds of agreement as Harry and Rose saddled up the horses for their friends. Ron took Churchill whilst George and Fred took Blath and Antionette respectively. Rose took Paul whilst Harry shared Courage with Ginny.

"Make sure you hold on tight Gin" Harry called back to the red head,

Ginny could only nod as she gingerly wrapped her arms around Harry as he beckoned his horse onward. The group of friends took the horses around the property edge, around the fields and even up into the forest and hills to the south of the Evans property. The two mares lead by the twins galloped ahead of the rest of the group, Ron and Churchill taking their time as the heavy horse steadily made his way up and down the hills. Paul and Courage kept Churchill company as the four friends chatted on horseback.

"So, what have you two got planned for the holidays?' Ron called back to his friends and sister,

"Building a bedroom for Harry since apparently I'm too big to share with my big brother" Rose said,

Harry rolled his eyes as he heard Ginny giggle behind him, "You're going to have to get used to it, we won't be sharing at Hogwarts"

Banter between the group of friends continued as they made their way along the property grounds. Eventually the twins decided to turn around and join their siblings and friends, slowing their horses down to a trot as they joined in the conversation. The twins suggested that Harry and Rose join in their pranks the coming school year, something that brought a smile to the two Potters faces.

"Sounds like a great idea, maybe we can teach old Filch a lesson or two" Harry joked,

Behind him Ginny snorted, "That will be the day, that old coger can't help but be a pain in the bum",

"That's why dear sister" Fred Started,

"You will have to join us", George added,

"In our mission" Fred added,

"To annoy Filch anyway possible" George finished,

"Hey! What about me!" Ron called out,

The twins rolled their eyes at their younger brother, "You wouldn't be able to keep a lid on it Ronniekins" George said,

"You'd let it slip the moment we told you" Fred added,

Ron turned bright red as he flipped his older brothers the bird before beckoning Churchill faster,

For the group of friends, the next few weeks of holidays went by fast, with days consisting of horse riding or Quidditch matches, and adventures out into the woods surrounding St Ottery. A week after the barn had been raised, Sirius arrived back at the Evans home with Arthur and a number of other gentlemen, including a scruffy looking Remus, who was yet to meet the eldest Potter.

"Harry! Come meet an old friend of mine!" Sirius called from the bottom of the stairs,

Thundering down with his sister close in tow, Harry made his way into the sitting room where the group of men were sitting, enjoying a cup of tea that Juni had brought them each. Harry smiled at his godfather as Rose rushed passed him to give Remus a tight hug.

Remus was caught off guard by Rose's outburst, but soon composed himself enough to return the hug, "My, that was quite a welcome" Remus beamed at the young girl,

"How are you Moony" Rose beamed up at him,

"All the better for seeing you little one" Remus replied,

Sirius made a move forward as Harry followed his sister, "Harry, I'd like you to meet Remus Lupin, one of your father and I's best friends"

Remus presented his hand for Harry to shake, only to have the young boy join his sister in a tight embrace, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Remus, Rose and Sirius have told me a lot about you",

"All good I hope" Remus joked, composing himself once again from Harry's hug,

Harry broke the hug as Rose did beamed up at the older man, "Only the best",

"As touching as this all is, we've got a job to do today people" Sirius smirked,

Rose shot him a dirty look, "And what exactly is this job, Mr Padfoot",

"Why Harry's new room of course", Sirius replied,

"Oh…right", Rose's eyes travelled down as reality hit her that Harry and her wouldn't be able to share a room anymore,

"Right then, shall we get started", Arthur spoke up,

Sirius gave him a nod as he gestured for the men to follow him, "Harry, we'll need your help telling us what you want" Sirius said,

"Really? You mean I can decorate my room how I want?" Harry asked, astonished,

His godfather gave him a gentle smile and nod as he led Harry up the stairs, Rose close behind, "Indeed you can pup, the rooms all yours to do with as your please",

"Does that mean you'll be painting it in pink then Harry?" Rose joked, earning herself a glare from Harry,

Remus let out a laugh from behind them, as did Arthur, "I thought he'd want to go a nice Gryffindor burgundy if I'm honest" Remus said,

"That sounds good to me, and while you're at it you should change Rose's room to Slytherin Green" Harry smirked at his sister, "Since she's so cunning and evil",

Rose stared at her brother, mouth agape, before she whacked him on the arm, "Harry James Potter! You'll pay for that!",

"Sorry Rose, couldn't help myself", Harry replied sheepishly, rubbing his arm,

Rose smirked at her defeated brother as Remus and Sirius shared a look of joy between them. Reaching the top of the stairs, the group made their way to the halfway point between the guest room where Sirius was sleeping the bathroom, right across the doorway from Lily's old room.

"Alright lads, Juniper says we can place the room here", Arthur called back to the two gentlemen behind him,

Grunting their affirmative, the two men moved passed the group and took out their wands, pointing it at the wall whilst mumbling a few incantations, few of which Harry and Rose caught. Light flowed from the men's wands as the spell hit the wall, before long there was a doorway forming in the wall and room came into view from behind the doorway. Harry and Rose gasped in surprise as a fully sized room, the same size as their mothers, appeared in front of them.

"There yeh go, one Room teh go", one of the Builders said,

Sirius stepped forward and handed a fat bag of gold over to the builder as he shook his hand, "Here you go, thanks for your help mate",

The two builders nodded their heads as Arthur escorted them back down the stairs and out of the house.

"Well you two, now the real work begins" Sirius said,

Harry and Rose stepped inside of the room, Remus and Sirius close behind. The room was bare except for the wooden floor and blank plaster walls. Harry was grinning like mad by now, staring around the room that would eventually be his,

"This is…fantastic!" Harry exclaimed,

Rose wrapped an arm around her brother's waist as she admired the room with him, "Just think, this will all be set up just for you soon enough",

"So, where do we start first?" Harry asked,

"Well, what kind of paint do you want on the walls?" Sirius said,

Harry pondered for a moment, "Why not Burgundy, like Moony suggested, with little snitches on the wall!" Harry beamed,

Sirius and Moony let out a laugh as Rose rolled her eyes, "Why do you have to be so typical" Rose smirked,

But as promised, Sirius and Remus begun work on painting the walls as Harry wanted within the hour. With the beauty of magic, Sirius, Arthur and Remus managed to paint the walls lickety split, spraying paint onto the walls with acute accuracy with their wands. Harry and Rose stared on in amazement as the room transformed in front of their very eyes. As the painting finished up, the men started to bring in a number of shrunken pieces of furniture into the room, before bringing them back up to size. Before long, the room was filled with a four-poster double bed, an oak wood set of drawers and tall boy, a full-length standing mirror, and lastly a small bookshelf to fit into the corner.

Harry was ecstatic with his new room, his OWN room, something he never had before. Yes, he had shared with Rose for the last few months, and he had his own bed back at Hogwarts, but he had never had a room strictly for himself. Harry walked around, examining his new furniture as Rose sat on the unmade bed, whilst Sirius and Remus stood at the doorway, which was fitted with a brand-new door. Arthur had already headed home for dinner with his family, leaving the Potters and co to their own devices.

"Well then you lot, I think it's time I headed home", Remus told them,

Harry snapped out of his euphoria to look at Remus, "Do you really have to head home?".

Remus nodded his head, "Sadly I do, I've got to go out for a job interview tomorrow, hopefully I'll end up with the job",

Sirius smiled sadly at his friend as he clapped a hand over his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll do fine, anyone would be glad to have you",

Rose and Harry made their way over to Remus to embrace him in a tight hug, "Thanks for all your help today Remus", Harry said,

"Make sure you come around more often you big softy", Rose added,

Remus petted the two Potters on the head, "Don't worry, I'll be back 'round plenty before you both head off to Hogwarts",

That night, Harry slept alone in his own bed in the first time in his entire life. A room with no one else but himself. Next door he could hear the rumbling snores his godfather on the other side. Harry was too excited to go to sleep straight away that night, tossing and turning as the euphoria of his big day filled his mind. His train of thought however was broken as the sound of his door opening brought his attention. Sitting up and turning on the bed side lamp, Harry's eyes adjusted to Rose standing at the door in her nightgown.

"Sorry…I didn't think you'd be awake" Rose whispered,

Harry shook his head as he patted the space next to him on the bed, "You're okay, come sit, what's up?',

"I…I couldn't sleep" Rose stammered as she sat next to her brother,

Wrapping an arm around his sister, Harry brought Rose close into him, "What's on your mind?",

"It's just weird…sleeping in an empty bed",

Harry snorted, "You've been sleeping in an empty bed for the last 8 months",

"I know. But you've been away that time, but now you're just across the way but you're not in the same bed as me",

"You're going to have to get used to it you know, eventually we won't even live in the same house",

Rose let out a sigh, "I know, but I just get this weird feeling whenever we aren't together",

"Well, I don't have an answer to that, but who knows with magic and all, maybe there is a bond there", Harry said,

Rose shrugged as she buried herself into Harry's side, "Maybe. Is it okay if I sleep here tonight?",

Harry nodded his head as he laid back down, letting Rose lay her head on his shoulder,

"Thank you, Harry, I couldn't ask for a better brother",

Harry snorted as he closed his eyes, "And I couldn't ask for a better sister, I love you Rosey",

"Love you to Harry",

Shutting her eyes, Rose let sleep overtake her as she listened to the soft snores of her brother next to her. She thought about her future for a while, wondering what would happen when the day they had to move out would come. Would she manage to survive without seeing her brother every day? The last few months proved that she would have preferred her brother around her, but she had survived, just. She would have to make an effort to sleep in her own bed of course, she didn't want to disrupt her brothers sleep. These thoughts would have to be for another day however, as she desperately needed sleep. The last thing she remembered that night was the dream of going to Hogwarts with her brother and friends, something that seemed better than any dream at that moment.


	14. Stag Run

**Stag Run, A pitch of our own, Birthdays again: Chapter 14**

Over the next few weeks of the summer holidays, Rose rotated between her bed and Harry's, and even sometimes Sirius', in her ever-deepening spiral of depression. The thought of eventually being separated from her brother had plagued her mind ever since she first thought about it the night Harry moved into his own room. Try as they might, her family and friends couldn't get her to her normal, bubbly, happy self, leading to Sirius resorting to desperate measure. One morning, Rose found herself being awoken by a wet, warm tongue slobbering its way up her cheek. Opening her eyes in panic, Rose shot up from her bed to the sight of her brother and Sirius, in Animagus form, sitting on her bed.

"Sirius! That's seriously gross!" Rose chided, "I have no idea where your tongue has been!",

Harry chuckled from his position in the doorway as his sister made to stand from her bed, "You should have seen the look on your face Rose, classic",

Sirius hopped off the bed as Rose shot her brother a glare, begrudgingly moving towards him for their morning hug, "Don't you start too Harry",

Sirius meanwhile had changed back into his normal self, "Awh, isn't that touching",

"Watch it padfoot", Rose warned,

"Alright I get it, you're grumpy" Sirius chuckled,

"Gran has breakfast all set up downstairs" Harry told her, "Remus is coming over in a bit to take us somewhere with Sirius",

Rose looked at her brother and then her Godfather with a raised eyebrow, "Where we goin' then?",

"That's for me to know and for you to find out missy" Sirius tapped the side of his nose,

Making their way back downstairs, Rose was greeted by her family seated around the kitchen table, enjoying their breakfast and morning beverages as they talked amongst themselves or read the newspaper in Alex's case. Juni looked up and smiled at her granddaughter as Rose rounded the corner,

"Good morning sweetheart, how'd you sleep?",

Rose shrugged her shoulders as she headed for an empty seat next to her grandfather,

"I don't think she's in much of a mood to talk this morning" Harry said, "Not after the wake up she received",

Sirius grinned sheepishly as he took a seat next to Juni, "What can I say, I always wanted to be a family pet",

"You pretty much are Sirius" Alex joked, looking up from his newspaper,

Their conversation was broken by the sound of the fireplace roaring to life from the sitting room, indicating someone arriving by Floo. A few moments later, the dishevelled appearance of Remus appeared in their kitchen, looking as pale as ever,

"Good morning everyone, how are we this morning",

The group said their good-mornings as Remus took a seat next to Sirius. The two friends leaned in to have a silent conversation. Rose strained her ears to try and pick up what they were saying, but failed to do so, going back to eating her bacon and eggs that Juni had supplied her. Breaking from their whispered conversation, Sirius and Remus beamed at the two young Potters,

"Well you lot, everything's set for today, so the quicker you eat the faster we can get where we're going", Remus told them,

Harry and Rose nodded their heads and they tucked into the food as quickly and politely as possible, Harry failing in the latter.

"So, Alex, are you looking for people to help with the harvest?" Remus asked,

Alex looked up from his paper to look at Remus, "Aye, I am. You interested in a job then Remus?",

"I'm afraid so, the last interview I had went rather…sour", Remus said sadly,

Alex nodded his head as he put down his paper, "Well, you're welcome to help out. I can't pay you much, but what I can spare I'll give",

"Thank you, Alex," Remus nodded in appreciation, "Are you getting the boys to help as well?",

"Harry is going to help me out soon as the harvest is ready, and Sirius as well" Alex said, "Got to give the lad a bit of pocket money, but Sirius is earning his keep this way",

"If you'd only get sheep you could see my full potential" Sirius grinned,

Alex rolled his eyes as he picked his paper back up, "Aye, I think I'd have better luck using an Ass to plough the fields",

Harry snorted as Juni shot her husband a look, whilst Remus and Sirius chuckled softly. Rose was stoic however, as she got up to put her dishes in the sink, signalling that it was time to depart. Giving their grandparents a kiss each, Harry and Rose followed Sirius and Remus to the front of the house, ready to take the Floo, only to be directed to the front of the house.

"Why aren't we taking the Floo?" Harry asked,

Sirius looked back at his godson, "Where we're going we can't get to by floo, pup",

Walking all the way to the edge of the wards, Sirius signalled them to grab a hold of one of them, "Grab hold of one of us, nice and tight now",

Rose grabbed Remus' arm whilst Harry grabbed Sirius, as both adult wizards took out their wands, before being submerged in the tight, black embrace of apparition. Coming out of the expanse of darkness, the two Potters emerged on a dirt road at the edge of a property with a vast white brick wall surrounding it. Around them, mountains and valleys appeared, with white mist pouring down from them in the early morning. In front of them was a large, double gate made of cold steel, decorated by a number of shaped stags. Remus and Sirius looked on at the house with a tear in each of their eyes as Remus pulled out a couple of pieces of paper and handed them to Rose and Harry.

"Read these pieces of paper, and then pass them back" Remus told them,

Harry and Rose looked down at the pieces of paper they had just been handed,

 _Stag Run is located 3 miles due east of Fort Augustus, Scotland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland_

Passing the pieces of paper back to Remus, Harry and Rose had to stifle a gasp as a house appeared in front of them. Appearing out of what appeared to be mid-air, a large, dark brown stone brick house stood in place of what use to be an empty field. The house itself appeared to be at least two stories high, not unlike the Evans home, with large windows spaced out along the wall. The walls of the house had lush green ivy growing up the brickwork and around the windows, and in front sat a large garden of various flowers and plants. Reds and blues and yellows and pinks graced the garden bed, as well as ferns and various other flowering plants. Trees surrounded the property and filled the empty spaces, creating the feeling that the house was in the middle of a forest. Mostly old oaks but also a number of mountain Ash's.

"Remus…what is this place" Rose asked in barely a whisper,

Remus and Sirius turned around to face the young Potters, "Rose, Harry…welcome to Stag Run, the ancestral home of the Potters for over 200 years",

Harry and Rose stood there, mouth agape, as Remus and Sirius opened the gate in front of them, allowing them access to the grounds. Almost robotically, the two siblings walked up the gravel garden path to the white painted front door. The closer they got the more detailed it became, until eventually they came to a stop directly in front of it. The door itself was old, showing signs of wear and tear, however the stag's head was still proudly carved into the door, even with chips of paint missing.

"How do we get in?" Harry asked softly,

Sirius stepped forward with an old wrought iron key, lining it up with the lock and placing it in before withdrawing his hand,

"It has to be one of you two to open the door, it won't let anyone but a Potter in",

Harry took Rose's hand in his and reached for the key, "Then we'll do it together",

Slowly they turned the key until they heard the lock come undone. Gently, they reached for the doorhandle and pushed the door in, eliciting a squeak as the old stiff wood struggled to bend. They were immediately greeted by an ornate entrance room, with a flight of old wood stairs sat proudly in the middle of the room. To their left and right were doors into other rooms. The house itself smelt old and musty, but not repulsive, and the condition of the house was still quite liveable. The walls were painted a soft cream colour, with a fine golden border along the cornices, which were white with intricate flowers carved into them. The floor beneath them was old polished wood, with the signs of age gracing It like a finely aged whiskey.

"This place…it's amazing" Harry cried,

"Ah, this does bring back memories, doesn't it Moony", Sirius grinned at his friend,

Remus nodded as he grinned back at Sirius, "It's good to see it again, that's for sure",

Rose gently approached the flight of stairs, careful to walk, thinking that any step of hers could end up breaking something, "How many stories are there?"

"Two, this one and the one above, plus an attic and a small cellar if I remember rightly" Sirius explained,

"And how many rooms?" Harry asked,

Remus and Sirius smirked at each other, "There's a formal dining room, a kitchen, sitting room, family room, games room, wine cellar, two studies, four bathrooms, and eight bedrooms, with room to expand", Sirius grinned,

Rose looked back at Harry with wide eyes, "And this is all ours?", Rose asked,

"All yours little pups" Sirius grinned,

Remus stepped forward and placed a hand on Rose's shoulder, "The reason we brought you here is because it's become painfully obvious that separating you two at any point would be disastrous",

"So, we thought what could we do about it" Sirius said, "Then Moony reminded me of Stag Run, and just how big it is…and can be",

Sirius came and put his arm around Harry, "There's enough room here for both of you, and your families…should you have them",

Rose tore her eyes away from her godfather as tears began to form in her eyes. Without saying a word, she strode over to Harry and wrapped her arms around her brother in a fierce bearhug that could rival Mrs Weasley's.

"We don't have to move…we can stay here and grow old together" Rose choked out in barely a whisper,

Harry ran his hands up and down Rose's back in a soothing manner as he spoke, "Guess you got your wish then" Harry said, "We get to stay together till the end",

Rose broke the embrace to look up at her brother, who looked back down with a smile on his face,

"Alright you two, shall we take a tour?" Sirius asked,

Nodding their heads frantically, Rose and Harry followed their godfather as Remus brought up the rear. The same decoration of the floor and walls followed throughout the house, with slight variations in some. The sitting room to the left of the front door was much like the Evan's, with a large dark brick fireplace, and deep burgundy red couches and sitting chairs arranged in a formal seating arrangement, with an old ornate coffee table set smack bang in the middle. Photos and paintings of old Potters of generations passed lined the wall, many of them peering at the newcomers, whispering to each other who it could be. Above the fireplace sat a number of photos of their father and his friends, along with their grandparents.

"James's parents, your grandparents, died not long after him and Lily married. Taken by dragon pox unfortunately", Sirius explained, "They would have loved you both very dearly",

Continuing on to the door to the right of the entrance, they came into the family room, which like the sitting room, had a number of burgundy couches and chairs, along with a beautiful burgundy and gold rug that spread across the room. Bookshelves full of books, heirlooms and even family games lined the back wall, and an old wireless sat in the corner. The dining room was much the same as the Evans, with a large ornate wooden table surrounded by chairs, filling the room. The kitchen followed suit, with a small dining table and chairs placed off the side of the kitchen. The kitchen itself was a mix of dark black granite and dark oak wood, polished to be just as reflective as the granite top benches. The cold cupboard shared the same wooden look as the counters, and the stove looked at least 30 years old.

"This kitchen is going to need some work" Rose joked as the eyed the stove,

Sirius looked at her aghast, "Not old faithful betty!" he cried, "Do you know how many times James almost burned down the house cooking!",

Rose and Harry snorted as Remus rolled his eyes, "All the more reason to chuck it out", Rose argued,

"Never! It's far too valuable as a source of entertainment" Sirius said,

Continuing on, the group found themselves in the games room, which housed an old pool table, old darts board, a bar stocked with a number of muggle and magical liquors alike, and a few old brown couches and wooden tables. Finally, the group ascended the stairs to the next level, skipping the cellar due to Rose insisting that she wouldn't step foot in a dark cellar till she could do some proper magic. The majority of the rooms were generic guest rooms, housing a double bed, a wardrobe, a chair and a hearth to warm the room. The master bedroom, which would have belonged to their grandparents and eventually their parents, contained a large four poster king size bed, two wardrobes, a large standing mirror, bookshelves, a hearth with chairs placed in front, and an old chest in the corner.

"Did mum and dad sleep in here?" Rose asked quietly,

Sirius nodded his head as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Only for a little while, but yes...they did",

A small tear escaped Rose's eye as Harry wrapped an arm around her and steered her out of the room, and into the hallway. The next door they came to would contain the room hardest for all four of them. Inside was James' room, untouched since his death. Pushing the door aside, Rose and Harry entered the room first, whilst Sirius and Remus hung back by the door. Inside, was much the same as their grandparent's room. A smaller double four poster bed sat with its back to the wall, a chest stood at its foot. The room screamed Gryffindor, with posters and photos of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, James' classmates and friends, and of various other Quidditch teams. A desk sat in the corner, empty of its contents except for a few old books and papers.

"This…it's…I don't know what to say", Harry whispered,

Rose took his hand as they walked around the room, looking at the various posters and photos, stopping at a photo of the marauders.

"You look so happy in this picture, you especially Remus" Harry said,

Remus and Sirius came over to stand behind them, "I remember taking that photo, thank merlin we had the rat take the photo that day" Sirius spat,

"Look at your face Sirius, you look like you're about to prank someone" Remus chuckled,

Sirius joined his friend in chuckling as he ran a hand over the photo, "those days were…so much simpler",

"I think that's enough for today, don't you think?" Remus asked,

Harry nodded his head as he steered his sister to the door, "I think it's time we headed home",

Walking out of the house and back down the garden path, the group found themselves taking one last look at the house from beside the gate.

"Harry, Rose, Remus and I have been discussing what to do with the house", Sirius said, "And we were wondering if it would be okay if eventually we moved in for a while to look after the place",

"It wouldn't be forever, but my landlord just found out who I was and well…" Remus hung his head,

Harry nodded his head, "Of course you can stay, both of you",

"There's no need to ask us, you can stay as long as you want" Rose added,

Remus beamed at the two as a small tear slid down his cheek, "Thank you…both of you. You're just like your parents",

"So we've been told" Harry chuckled,

Remus surprised them all by being the first to wrap them up into a tight embrace, squeezing both of them with glee.

It was decided later that night that Remus would move in as soon as possible and start to rejuvenate the home, giving it a fresh coat of paint and updating what needed to be changed. Sirius would eventually move in with him once he found a stable job.

"How are you going with the ministry by the way?" Harry asked Sirius that night as they sat on Rose's bed,

"Getting there, I have an interview with the Auror department next week" Sirius said, "But Amelia Bones knows what I can do",

"Did you fight much, during the last war?" Harry asked,

Sirius smiled lightly, "Yeah, Dumbledore had us spying on the Death Eaters, hitting them whenever we could", Sirius turned his head to look at the picture of the Potters on the desk, "Your mum and dad were the best team though…we often went in pairs, sometimes it was James and I, or Remus and I, and others it was Lily and James",

"How good were they?" Rose beamed,

"The best" Sirius smirked, "No one could take them down when they worked as a team, not even Remus and I teaming together",

"Could Dumbledore defeat them?" Harry asked,

Sirius chuckled lightly, "Nobody could defeat Dumbledore, but I tell you what…Lily and James gave him one hell of a fight",

"If only they could defeat Voldemort…" Rose whispered lightly,

Sirius and Harry wrapped their arms around her and each other as tears started to fall from all their eyes, "If only…but I tell you what" Sirius stopped to look at the two of them, "You two will be better than your parents, better then Voldemort…better then Dumbledore even!",

Harry smiled at his godfather, "One day maybe, but for now, I'm happy just being the _boy-who-lived",_

Rose snorted, "I hate that title you know",

"Don't worry, so do I", Harry chuckled,

"I'd much rather you be Harry Potter, wizard extraordinaire", Rose smiled,

Sirius let out a laugh as he ruffled the two Potters hair, "Alright you lot, I think it's time for this old dog to head to bed",

Giving them each a kiss on the head, Sirius left them to themselves as he retreated to his own room,

"Harry?"

Harry looked down at his sister, "Yeah?",

"Can you sleep in here tonight?",

"Of course, I can, just be prepared for my snoring alright", Harry chuckled,

Rose snuggled herself into her brother's arms, "Thank you Harry, you're the best brother I could ask for",

"And you're the best sister I could ask for",

Laying a kiss on his sister's head, Harry got up to go and get changed for bed. When he returned, he found Rose fast asleep on his pillow. Chuckling, Harry turned off all the room lights except for the bed lamp. Crawling into bed, Rose stirred until eventually she settled on Harry's shoulder, letting out a sigh of contentment. Smiling down at his sister, Harry turned off the bed lamp and shut his eyes, letting sleep overtake him.

Since the Potters returned from _Stag Run_ , Rose's mood had improved drastically. It was a relief to everyone in the house that the youngest Potter was once again back to her normal happy self. Over the holidays, Harry and Rose spent a vast majority of their time out in the fields with their friends and horses, keeping them well exercised and healthy. It was on one of these outings with their friends that Rose brought up the topic of Harry's 12th birthday.

"Harry?" Rose said, "What do you want for your birthday?",

Once again Harry was riding Courage along with Ginny, whilst Rose rode Paul and Ron, Churchill, whilst the twins roamed ahead with the mares.

"Harry, did you hear your sister?" Ginny called out from behind him,

Snapping out of his daydream, Harry gave Ginny a sheepish smile as he turned to his sister, "What did you say dear sister of mine?",

"I said, what do you want for your birthday…tosser", Rose huffed,

"Whatever you want to get me" Harry said, "I really don't mind",

"So we'll get you a pretty pink dress then aye mate?" Ron chuckled,

Harry shot Ron a glare as Rose and Ginny let out a chuckle, "Don't you start, otherwise I'll get you pet dragon for next year" Harry smirked at his best mate,

Ron bit down on his tongue as he stifled his laughter, whilst Ginny and Rose continued to laugh their heads off.

"Come on you lot! You're slower than a wet week!", the sound of George's voice cut through their laughter. Standing on the edge of the property forest sat Fred and George on their chosen mounts,

"We've been waiting forever for you lot to get here!" Fred added,

Pushing into Courage's side, Harry urged his mount into a gallop in order to catch up to the twins. The sudden moment caused Ginny to squeal as she wrapped her arms arounds Harry's middle to steady herself.

"Couldn't warn me you were about to take off?" Ginny chided him,

Harry turned around to look at Ginny with a sheepish grin, "Sorry 'bout that Gin, I'll warn you next time",

Ginny humphed at the reply, but couldn't help but let her lips form into a smile as she pulled herself tighter to Harry. Finally catching up to the twins, Harry calmed Courage into a trot before stopping in front of them.

"'Bout bloody time you got here", George said, "We've been meaning to show you lot something",

Harry raised an eyebrow at the twins just as Ron and Rose caught up with them,

"And what, pray tell, are you going to show us?" Harry grinned,

Fred tapped the side of his nose as he pulled Blath around to continue up the dirt track, "Just you wait and see Potter",

"Couldn't wait up for us then", Rose said as she pulled alongside her brother,

Harry rolled his eyes as he looked down at his sister, "You know I really can't take you seriously when you're down there",

Ron let out a snort to his left as his sister shot him a glare, "Ginny, if you could be kind enough to whack my brother one I'd be in your debt",

"With pleasure", Ginny laughed mirthlessly as she whacked Harry's arm with surprising force,

Harry flinched at the slap but chuckled nonetheless, "Geez you two, I'll be black and blue by the time you're both finished with me",

Rose looked satisfied as she pulled ahead to follow the twins,

"Sisters mate, I tell yeh, they're mental", Ron said, earning him a glare from Ginny.

Following the twins along, the group finally found themselves in a large clearing, surrounded on all sides by tall, ancient oaks.

"Wow, look at this place, how'd you find it?" Rose asked, astonished,

Fred and George exchanged a look, "Well dear Rosey", Fred started,

"Unlike the rest of you", George added,

"We actually enjoy going out and riding",

"Fast",

"So it was only a matter of time",

"Before we came across this place",

"But we were both thinking",

"It would make a great Quidditch pitch" They both finished in unison,

Harry and Ron looked at each other, their eyes lighting up at the thought,

"Wicked!" they both exclaimed,

Rose rolled her eyes and looked over at Ginny, hoping to get some support, only to find that she was just as excited,

"Oh, come on, you can't all be excited about this?" Rose exclaimed

Ginny gave her an apologetic shrug as she dismounted Courage with the help of Harry,

They all strolled around the field, mapping out where goals could be and how high they could fly. The clearing was much bigger than the one at the Weasley's, and the trees were vastly taller, making it a better spot for flying any day. The only problem was that the clearing was at least a good 10-minute ride, and nowhere near the house where adults could supervise.

"As much as I love the idea" Harry said, "I doubt your parents and our grandparents will let us fly all the way out here",

Fred and George snorted, "Then we don't tell them",

"Honestly Potter",

Harry shook his head and looked over to Rose, who returned the sentiment with a shrug,

"Alright, how about tomorrow you sneak your brooms over and we have a test round to see how we go", Harry said,

Everyone nodded in agreement as they returned to their horses and began the journey back home.

Daily matches in the newly found clearing on the Evans property were daily occurrences from then onwards. The group of friends enjoyed themselves as they flew around in the sky and practiced with makeshift Quaffles, mostly footballs and various sized fruits. Rose even managed to have a fly by herself without Harry's help, and found that there really wasn't much effort involved in flying the broom, although she was hazardous to try any complex manoeuvres that her brother and Ginny would pull off.

Harry and Ginny were a force to be reckoned with on the pitch, and when they occasionally played on opposite teams, it was usually a long slog of a game before a clear winner could be decided. It was after one of these matches, a few days away from Harry's 12th birthday, that Ginny finally managed to fly Harry's _Nimbus2000_ ,

"Gin, didn't you say you wanted to try out my broom?" Harry asked her as she floated down to the ground after the well fought game,

Ginny blushed and smiled a bit as she touched down next to him, "I mean…you don't have to, I know how expensive they are", Ginny told him, "I wouldn't want to break it",

"I very much doubt you'll break it Gin", Harry chuckled,

Ginny blushed a deeper crimson as she took Harry's offered broom, "Thank you Harry, I promise I'll treat her well",

"What are you waiting for then, get up there would you!", Harry grinned at her, coaxing her into the sky,

Before anyone could blink, Ginny kicked off from the ground and rocketed into the air with as much speed and power the broom could handle. She whooped and hollered as the Nimbus took her gracefully along the edges of the clearing with such speed that everything around her was a blur. Harry could only smile and laugh as he watched his crush pull off extraordinary flight manoeuvres, from barrel rolls to nose dives. Eventually, after Ginny had flown for at least a half hour, she landed gracefully back next to Harry, who had a beaming smile plastered onto his face.

"Now that! Is what I call flying!" Harry said,

"Oh, stop it Harry, it was nothing…really" Ginny blushed as she handed the broom back to him,

Harry smiled and took her hand in his as he led her back towards Courage who was still waiting patiently for them at the edge of the clearing, completely undisturbed by the flying display he just witnessed,

"Come on, best we head back before they wonder where we've gone and send out the whole Auror department", Harry said,

Ginny rolled her eyes as she walked with Harry, "Bet they couldn't stand to lose the boy-who-lived, that would look pretty bad on their record",

Harry chuckled as he gave Ginny a hand mounting Courage, "No, I'm sure that would look pretty shocking on a resumé, although losing Ginny Weasley is just as bad",

Ginny blushed as Harry mounted up in front of her and steered Courage back towards the house, "You know just what to say to make a girl blush",

"You do a pretty good job too you know" Harry said…blushing,

Ginny chuckled, "You mean making girls blush? Why Harry you should know me better",

"You know what I mean", Harry said rolling his eyes,

Coaxing courage on to pick up speed, the two soon found themselves back at the Evans home where Rose was currently leading Paul back to his sty,

"And where have you two been hey?" Rose gave a smirk,

Harry pulled up next to her and dismounted, turning around to give Ginny a hand as well, "I let Gin have a fly around on my broom, that's all",

"You do know how wrong that sounds right?" Rose smirked,

Harry gave his sister a face as Ginny blushed furiously, burying her face in her hands, "Madeline-Rose Lily Potter, get your mind out of the gutter!",

Rose rolled her eyes as she put Paul back away in his sty, leaving Ginny and Harry to take care of Courage.

All thoughts of Rose's impure comments were forgotten as Harry's birthday rounded the corner. On the day of his 12th Birthday, Harry was rudely awoken by a sloppy wet dog tongue,

"Aghhh, Sirius cut it out!" Harry groaned in his sleep,

Harry heard a chuckle somewhere towards his door, which sounded very much like Sirius. Opening his eyes, he was met not by the typical black shaggy form of Sirius, but instead with a small tricolour English Shepard,

"You're not Sirius, who are you?" Harry asked, giving the pup a stroke,

"I'm Sirius thank you very much, and she doesn't have a name yet" Sirius chuckled,

Before Harry could respond, Rose came belting in through the door, knocking Sirius aside as she jumped onto her brothers' bed, "Happy birthday Harry!"

The small pup was forced to quickly scamper away before she was crushed by Rose's form,

"Um, who's this?" Rose said on noticing the pup,

Harry coaxed the puppy back towards them as he stroked her neck, "Don't know, but I think Sirius might have a clue",

Sirius' eyes twinkled as he sat down on the bed next to his godchildren, "Consider it a birthday present from last year, since I missed it, along with the other 8",

"Thank you, Sirius, she's beautiful, where'd you get her?" Harry asked,

"Your gramps knows a bloke from down the way whose Shepard just had a litter, giving the pups away to good homes so I thought we could use some more company around here…and you know, a real dog",

Rose and Harry chuckled as they ruffled their new pets' fur, "What should we name her?" Harry asked,

"Something fierce and protective" Rose suggested,

Harry pondered for a moment before coming up with a name, "Guinevere?"

Rose shook her head, "Nah, not fierce enough",

"Boudicca?"

"Too hard to pronounce",

"Elizabeth?"

"Too plain",

Harry sighed, "Fine, what about Jeanne, after Joan of Arc",

Rose thought for a moment before nodding her head, "I love it, alright then little Jeanne, do you like that name?"

Little pup Jeanne let out a small bark in approval as she snuggled into her new owners,

"That means yes by the way" Sirius ginned,

"And how would you know, do you suddenly speak dog?" Rose scoffed,

Sirius smirked as he walked out of the room and down the hall, "Actually I do!",

Rose rolled her eyes, "Of course he does, he's an Animagus",

"Go on you, go show Jeanne off to the others, I'll be down soon once I'm decent", Harry told his sister,

"Alright, don't be too long, we've got presents too open",

"Not till tonight we do silly" Harry smirked,

Rose rolled her eyes as she picked Jeanne up and carried her gracefully down to the kitchen. Harry joined her a few minutes later, dressed and refreshed and ready to start the day. On entering the kitchen, Harry was assaulted with various greetings of Happy birthdays and well-wishing from his family,

"Happy birthday sweetheart!" Juni cried out,

"Happy birthday Harry my boy" Alex chimed in,

Sirius voiced his greeting as well as Harry came to sit down next to his sister,

"So, what do you think of Jeanne?" Harry asked the table,

Juni was currently holding the pup, stroking her behind the ears, leaving the dog in a lulled blissful state, "She's beautiful, and if we train her right we can have her running around the yard for us",

Sirius let out a sigh, "I keep telling you I'm more then capa-",

"Nope" Alex cut off as he took a sip from his morning tea,

Sirius grinned at the older man as he raised his hands in defeat, "Remus should be here soon anyway, got any idea what you want to do today?"

Harry shrugged as he loaded his plate up with food, "Dunno really, are the Weasley's coming around?"

"They'll be here just past midday, so you've got the morning to relax and enjoy yourself" Juni said,

Harry smirked mischievously as he looked to his younger sister, "Then why don't Rose and I go for a little ride"

"What are you planning Harry…" Rose asked,

Harry looked back innocently, "Nothing at all dear sister",

"I'll believe that when pigs fly", Rose said, smirking at her brother,

Nobody saw the small wand movement that Sirius made under the table, they were only aware of any magical powers being used when a large pig flew past the kitchen window,

"Was that…. was that a pig!" Rose asked,

"I do believe that was a flying pig dear sister", Harry smirked and winked at Sirius,

Sirius gave him a wink back as he waved his wand under the table again, "I do believe that means you need to believe Harry now Rose",

Rose gave him a glare as she stood up, "Fine, have it your way" Rose chuffed, "Hurry up and get ready then Harry, then we'll go on a ride",

It turned out that Harry's little wish wasn't as deadly as Rose thought it would be. Instead of pranking his sister, Harry insisted that he teach Rose some proper flying skills. After much arguing and debating, Rose finally agreed to co-ride alongside Harry, and learn how to fly like him. Holding onto the front of the stick like mad, Rose was led through the moves by Harry, who sat behind her on the broom. With Harry's excellent teaching skills and encouragement, Rose actually began to enjoy herself, and started to whoop and holler as Harry helped her buzz around the pitch with increasing speed. Eventually the two called it a day and made it back towards the horses, but not before Rose could wrap herself around her brother in a bone crushing hug,

"That was amazing Harry! Thank you so much!",

Harry ruffled his sister's hair as he returned the embrace, "Hey, can't have a Potter not being able to fly now can we",

Rose smirked up at her brother as she broke the embrace, "Well I'll be learning from the best then",

"Awh Rose, I'm touched" Harry smirked,

"Not you tosser" Rose laughed, "I'll be learning from Ginny",

Harry stood there slack jawed for a moment as he processed his sisters' comment, "Now that's just rude!",

Making their way back home, Harry and Rose only had a brief amount of time to freshen up before the Weasley's popped around for the birthday celebrations. Whilst there were away, Remus had arrived and made himself comfortable. He was currently sitting out front on the veranda with Sirius, trading stories as they enjoyed a couple of glasses of homemade lemonade, curtesy of Juni.

"Remus! It's so good to see you!" Harry exclaimed as he crashed into his other father figure,

Remus returned the embrace just as tight, "Good to see you Harry, happy birthday",

Rose joined the fray too, sitting herself on Remus' knee, "How you doin' today Moony?"

Remus gave Rose a shrug as he ruffled her hair, "It's almost the full moon so I'm a bit reeled up, but I wouldn't miss this for the world",

Harry blushed as he beamed at Remus, "Thanks Moony, it's good to have you here, have you moved into Stag Run yet?",

"I have, wasn't really hard to be honest, I didn't have a lot of things to move in the first place" Remus said,

"Well I'm glad you're all settled in there anyway" Rose said,

"Just don't go replacing the stove whatever you do" Sirius warned, half-heartedly,

Remus waved him off, "Sure things padfoot, now, go wash up you two, you're filthy",

Harry and Rose rolled their eyes as they made their way into the house, "Yes Moony" They sighed in unison.

Scampering off up into the house, Rose and Harry quickly cleaned themselves up before they made their way back down to the veranda to sit with their godfathers, Rose taking a seat on Remus' knee as Harry pulled up a chair alongside Sirius. They chatted aimlessly for a while, Harry eventually revealed what they had been up too, making sure that neither of the adults would inform their grandparents or the Weasley parents. Sirius and Remus were delighted to hear that Rose was improving with her flying skills, Sirius even joked that she could make it onto a Quidditch team one day,

"Sorry Sirius, there's no chance that I'm even going to contemplate joining a Quidditch team" Rose said,

Eventually the group where interrupted when the sounds of the fireplace roaring to life sounded from inside. Walking back into the house, Harry and Rose were greeted by the dishevelled Weasleys, who were regrouping after their individual floo trips. Ginny was the first to notice the pair, rushing over to embrace Harry in a bone crushing Weasley hug,

"Happy birthday Harry!"

Grimacing, Harry returned the embrace before tapping out, "Thanks…Gin…can I…breath?"

"OH! Sorry Harry", Ginny smiled sheepishly as she broke the embrace,

Harry waved it off as the rest of the Weasley clan greeted him,

"Happy Birthday Harry dear", Mrs Weasley greeted, giving Harry another bone crushing hug,

"Happy Birthday mate!" Ron greeted,

"Happy Birthday Hazza" The twins greeted in unison,

"Happy Birthday Harry", Percy greeted pompously,

"Harry my boy, Happy birthday" Mr Weasley greeted last,

Harry returned the greeting to them all as Rose went around and received warm welcomes as well. Charlie and Bill where both still out of the country for work and couldn't attend, however they both sent their wishes and a couple of small gifts for Harry.

With greetings and present exchanging over, Harry and Rose lead the adults towards the back of the house, where Alex, and Juni were just finishing setting up the outside tables for the party, since the day was nice and lovely and warm. Much like last year, Harry and Alex conscripted the partygoers into a scratch game of football, this time with Remus and Sirius joining the fray as well. The group of friends enjoyed themselves immensely. Around 3 in the afternoon, the Grangers and Henderson's joined the party, arriving by floo, as the Grangers had been allowed the instillation of a private floo connection. Eventually the day wore on, and after a large dinner consisting of various roasted meats and vegetables, and a large Devils Chocolate cake birthday cake for dessert, the present opening had finally arrived.

Settling down in the sitting parlour with cups of tea and in the men's case, glasses of whiskey and fire whiskey, the group of friends passed their presents onto Harry one by one. From his grandparents Harry received some new, fashionable muggle clothing. Molly and Arthur gave him some homemade fudge and a leather-bound journal. From the Grangers, he received some sugar-free sweets. Lennox gave him a book about the history of the Aurors, whilst Alec gave him a book on Australian Rules Football, promising to get a hold on a ball so they could play. Hermione gave Harry a book on the history of magical Britain. Percy as per usual gave Harry a useful yet boring present, consisting of a new leather-bound bureau folder set. The twins chipped in to once again gift Harry some joke items and even some fireworks. Bill and Charlie had gotten Harry books on European curses and Dragon taming respectively. Ron managed to give Harry a pair of new seeker goggles, inbuilt with focusing lenses for his eyes. Remus gave him a book on Werewolves and their history, much to Harry's interest, whilst Sirius gave him a leather-bound journal of his fathers that included all their pranks throughout their time at Hogwarts. Presents sent from Hogwarts were also given to Harry, including a pair of leather gloves from Hagrid…he didn't specify what type of leather. McGonagall had once again surprised all by sending a present to Harry, a book on famous transfiguration masters and their invented spells. However, it was Dumbledore's present that had them all in laughter. Sitting in Harry's hands were a pair of lovely knitted thick woolly, burgundy soaks, with small little Gryffindor lions on them.

"Well, he did always say people don't give soaks as much as they should", Harry chuckled,

Lastly, Harry opened the presents from Ginny and his sister. Ginny surprised Harry by giving him a book on the Hollyhead Harpies, stating that he better become a fan.

"Should I fear for my life if I don't?" Harry joked,

Ginny chuckled back and shook her head, "Oh Harry, I wouldn't do that to you, but it's highly advisable you do",

Going back to his presents, Harry opened his last, which was his sisters. Inside the wrappings, Harry was greeted by an ornate wooden box. Harry give his sister a curious look as he examined the box,

"Well don't just look at it, open it up!", Rose exclaimed,

Taking his sisters advise, Harry opened up the box and gasped at what it contained. Inside was a beautifully crafted, Red Glass Lion, balancing on its hind legs on a plinth.

"It's beautiful Rose, thank you so much", Harry beamed at his sister,

Rose looked back bashfully as she came over to sit by her brother, "It's a Gryffindor lion, thought you could use a little decoration in your room",

Harry laid a kiss on his sisters' forehead as he placed the lion back in the box, "it's amazing Rose, thank you",

With presents done and out of the way, the guests soon started to make their way home. Before long, it was just the Weasley clan and Remus left as the rest departed for their homes. Ginny was meandering by the fireplace as her parents bid Harry farewell before whooshing away into the fireplace.

"Ginny? Are you coming dear?" Molly asked her daughter as Arthur went through the floo.

Ginny nodded her head, "In a minute mum…I ah…just want to talk to Harry for a bit".

Molly eyed her daughter with a knowing look, a small smile spreading on her face as she looked over her daughter. With a slight nod, Molly threw some floo powder into the fireplace and stepped over to the Burrow.

"Are you spending the night, are you?" Harry joked as he spied Ginny still waiting by the fireplace,

"I um…there's one last present I have for you", Ginny said in barely a whisper,

Sticking her hand in her pocket, she withdrew a small paper packet and placed it in Harry's hand,

Giving Ginny a quizzical look, Harry smiled as he opened the small wrapper. Harry's smile widened as he took out Ginny's present, a bracelet made of her own hair.

"I made it myself, I thought…after what you got me for Christmas, I had to repay the favour somehow" Ginny blushed,

Harry fiddled it between his fingers as he looked up and beamed at Ginny, "It's beautiful, thank you Gin",

Stepping forward and wrapping her into an embrace, Ginny and Harry blushed as Harry laid a small chaste kiss on Ginny's lips,

"H-happy Birthday Harry", Ginny blushed,

"Best you get back before your parents suspect anything", Harry smiled,

Nodding her head, Ginny stepped into the fireplace and called out for the Burrow, as she smiled and waved Harry goodbye.

Harry stood there for a moment, staring at the spot where Ginny had just been, smiling at nothing particular as he ran the bracelet through his fingers. His mind was awash with happy feelings and emotions as he studied back through the memories of tonight. Harry thought to himself, this had to be one of the best birthdays of his life.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

The summer holidays continued on much the same for the coming weeks, consisting of scratch Quidditch matches and exploration into the surrounding area. As the days neared Ginny's 11th birthday, the group of friends found themselves once again in the birthday celebrations. Ginny's birthday was a small affair for the group of friends, consisting of just the Weasleys and Potters. Luna and her father were away for the summer, off studying the Yeti in the high off Himalayas. Days beforehand, Harry and Rose had departed for Diagon Alley to buy Ginny a birthday present. Rose settled on buying her friend a large collection of new Wizard and muggle clothing, as Ginny was still having to wear second hand clothing. Harry however settled on buying her a book on Quidditch moves, along with a very special locket that would serve as her surprise present.

The day of her birthday itself turned out to be a lovely day for Quidditch flying, and so, much to Rose's dismay, the group found themselves high up in the sky, flying around the grove near the Burrow. Rose had settled on flying by herself, putting to use the training Harry had given her during the last few weeks.

"You're getting better Rose!" Ginny called out as she pulled her broom up next to her best friend,

Rose gave her a smile, "Harry's been teaching me" Rose told her, "He's a pretty good teacher if I'm honest",

"Well, he is the best flyer here" Ginny blushed,

"Hey, don't count yourself out, you're just as good, if not better" Rose said,

Ginny waved her hand in dismissal, turning to watch Harry teach Ron some sort of tricky manoeuvre on his broom,

"You know, you could try out for the Quidditch team when you get to Hogwarts" Rose said,

Drawing back to her friend, Ginny smiled, "Yeah, maybe I will. Not like there's any harm in trying",

The sound of a broom smacking into a tree brought them back to the scene in front of them. Ron was currently stuck in a tree, his brooms discarded on the ground, as the redhead sat up on a tree branch in a daze. The girls couldn't help themselves, breaking into a laughing fit at the sight of the youngest Weasley male.

Ron soon got over his daze and went back to flying with his best friend and siblings, and continued to do so until Molly called them all inside to get ready for dinner. Bill and Charlie would be arriving soon, only staying for dinner, as the boys would have to get back to their respective jobs the next day. Dinner was spectacular, as always. Dishes of roast meat, vegetables, cold summer salads and breads were spread out on the table outside the Burrow. Charlie and Bill had helped set up the chairs and tables outside, along with the twins, enjoying a round of table wrestling before finally setting the furniture up. Once dinner was all set and done, the group retreated back into the house, before saying goodbye to the elder Weasley boys,

"Sorry we couldn't stay longer Ginny, but the goblins are insistent that I arrive early tomorrow" Bill said, hugging his little sister,

Ginny smiled up at him, "That's alright, just make sure you come home for Christmas this year okay",

Bill nodded as he ruffled her hair, "I promise, have a great night Ginny",

Breaking her embrace with her oldest, and arguably favourite brother, Ginny turned to say goodbye to Charlie,

"Look after yourself Charlie, don't let those dragons burn you to cinders", Ginny teased,

Grabbing his sister around the shoulders, digging his knuckles into her head, Charlie noogied his little sister. Breaking the torture by elbowing her brother in the ribs, Ginny wrapped her arms around her brother's torso,

"You twit Charlie",

Chuckling to himself, Charlie ruffled her hair, "'Fraid I've got to get going now to sis, I'll see you at Christmas",

Making their way out, followed by Arthur who showed the boys out. The rest of the group made their way back into the Burrows parlour. Settling down for the night, the group of friends and family passed off their presents to Ginny, who accepted them all with a smile. The Evans had gifted her a set of muggle novels, including a three-book set entitled ' _The Lord of the Rings'._ Her parents got her new school robes for her coming first year. Percy gave her a set of quills and inks, whilst the twins went with their traditional joke items and fireworks. Charlie and Bill had gotten her a pair of dragon hide boots and an Egyptian amulet bracelet respectively. Ron in the meantime had bought Ginny some chocolate and candies from the local sweets shop.

Finally, Ginny moved onto Rose's and Harry's presents. Ginny loved the clothes that Rose had gotten her, promising to try them on with her later. Getting to Harry's present, Ginny was surprised to receive the Quidditch moves book. Looking inside, Ginny noticed a small scribbled note in the corner,

' _Look at the back when you're alone',_

Ginny shot Harry an inquisitive look. Harry just smiled as she looked through the book. Soon enough, the end of the night approached, and the group of friends departed for home, or for bed. Ginny gave both Rose and Harry a hug goodbye, Harry's a little longer, before she departed for her bedroom to check out the back of the Quidditch book. Sitting down on her bed, she opened up the back of the book, where a small inlet held a small silver locket and chain. Picking it up, Ginny ran her finger along the heart shaped locket, noticing the fine flowers that were carved into the silver. Opening it up, Ginny let out a gasp. On one side, was a small magical photo of the two of them, sitting together under one of the Burrows trees, taken sometime during this summer. On the other side, was a small lock of Raven, black hair, which could only be from Harry's messy mop of hair itself.

Smiling to herself, Ginny closed the locket and placed it by her bedside, before finally crawling into bed. She sat there staring up at the ceiling, mulling over the day's events, grinning like an idiot over the happiness that was coursing through her veins.

"That stupid, lovely boy" She muttered to herself,

That night, Ginny dreamed of a future with Harry, a future where they would live together as a family, with little red headed and raven-haired children running around them, as Harry held her as her father held her mother.

"One day, he'll be all mine".

 **AN: If people are wondering what Stag Run would look like, I kinda like to think it looks a bit like Cecil Beaton's Reddish house. So I you're interested, have a looksey and that will give you an idea as to what Stag Run would look like.**


	15. Back to school

**Lockhart, unexpected visitor, September 1st again; Chapter 15**

It wasn't long after Ginny's birthday when their Hogwarts letters finally came out. As always, they received their summons to be at platform 9 ¾ by 11 a.m. on September 1st, and a long list of school supplies and required books for their perspective grades. On the Friday after Ginny's birthday, the Weasleys and Potters and by extension Evans (And one Sirius Black), travelled by floo into Diagon Alley to collect their required school materials. There was no stopping by Ollivanders this trip, as Rose already had her mother's wand to use, and as much as Rose and Harry tried to convince the Weasleys, Ginny would be given her Grandmothers wand rather than a brand-new wand for herself. Ginny was devastated that she wouldn't receive a new wand, and spent most of the day in a hump, even brushing off Harry and Rose, much to their distress. And so, they went from store to store, buying robes at Madam Malkins, apothecary goods at the apothecary, and even owl treats at Eeylops Owl Emporium. Finally, the group descended on Flourish and Blotts, where they ran into the Grangers.

"Harry!"

Harry had to brace himself as Hermione bashed into him with a bear hug.

Harry awkwardly patted her back as he returned the hug, "Hello Hermione, how've your holidays been?"

"They've been alright, I've been worried I haven't done enough holiday revision. I've written down 3 feet of revision and completed a number of practice essays and…"

"Hermione, relax, I've think you've done enough" Harry chuckled,

Hermione gave Harry a glare and was about to retort when Ron made his way over, "Hey Hermione, when'd you get 'ere",

"Hello Ron, I was just telling Harry…",

Ron put his hand up to stop her, "How worried you are over holiday revision, don't worry I heard you half a store away",

Hermione huffed as Harry chuckled, "Relax Hermione, you do enough as it is", Harry told her,

"Far more than Sirius use to at the very least" Rose added as she came over to join the group with Ginny in tow,

"Hello Rose, Ginny, looking forward to your first year?" Hermione asked,

Rose gave her a toothy grin, "Haven't been this excited ever",

"Sure you have, you just got a horse over the holidays and a puppy", Harry rolled his eyes,

Rose gave her brother a shove, "Shut it you, you know exactly what I mean",

"Lets hope You-Know-Who doesn't make another appearance whilst we're there" Ginny joked, shooting Harry a grin,

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, and was about to retort when various Witches began to squeal at the top of their lungs,

"What on earth is going on?" Ron asked as Hermione started to drag Ginny and Rose to the front of a growing crowd,

At the back of a store, a large gathering of witches began to converge as reporters from the Daily Prophet and photographers pushed their way forward. Their attention was directed onto a middle-aged man with blonde hair and a dazzling smile.

"Alright everyone, settle down, settle down, I'll get to you all very soon", The man called out to the group of fanatical witches,

"Who on Earth is that?" Harry asked Ron as they pushed their way through the crowd to get to the girls,

"Gilderoy Lockhart, he's some sort of wizarding playboy, goes on adventures everywhere and 'dazzles' all the pretty witches with his smile", Ron sneered,

Harry and Ron eventually made it to the front of the group where the girls were currently being subjected to Hermione's incoherent babbling about how dazzling and intelligent Lockhart was.

"I read that he once saved an entire village in Transylvania from a vampire, and then went off to fight a dragon in Georgia!", Hermione gushed,

Rose rolled her eyes as she spotted her brother and Ron, "Took your time you lot, have to elbow a few witches to get through?" She smirked,

Harry rolled his own eyes as he gave his sister a playful shove, "You lot are crazy, I don't know how we're going to get out books, bad enough that our defence books were written by that bloke",

"That bloke, as you put it, is Gilderoy Lockhart, wizarding hero and member of the dark defen…" Hermione gushed before being promptly knocked into by a photographer,

"Outta the way! Daily Prophet!"

"How rude!" Hermione exclaimed loudly,

Her outburst unfortunately brought the attention of Lockhart onto the two Potter siblings,

"Oh my! Harry Potter! And his little sister", Lockhart exclaimed as he strode over and promptly grabbed the two of them, wrapping his arms around them for the Daily Prophet photographer.

"Now, smile you two. That's right ladies and gentlemen! Mr Harry Potter and his sister…uh...",

"Rose Potter", Rose huffed,

"Rose Potter! Are going to receive my full written booklist today, free of charge!",

Handing Harry and Rose two stacks of books each, the wizard celebrity shoved the two Potters off as witches squealed in delight,

Making their way back over to their friends, Harry and Rose gave their books over to Ron and Ginny, "Here, keep them, we'll get our own" Harry told his best mate,

Ron was about to protest, before Molly came over and gushed over the books, "I'll go get these signed for you two",

Ron and Ginny gave each other a shrug as they made their way back to the front of the store.

"Bloody hell, witches, they're bloody mental", Ron exclaimed, earning him a glare from the three witches present.

Hermione was about to scold him before she was interrupted by the all too familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy,

"Bet you loved that Potter, getting all that attention",

Harry and Rose turned to him, "Which Potter?",

Ron let out a snort before Draco shot him a withering look, "And who's this then, got yourself a little girlfriend Potter",

"No, that's my sister, as you would have known if you had been paying attention to that so called 'attention' we both received before", Harry said calmly, "And besides, Ginny's my girlfriend",

Ginny, who had made her way next to Harry, blushed furiously and ducked her head down, whilst Ron left his mouth open in a gape. Hermione was too busy letting the information float around in her head, processing, to show a display of emotion, and Rose just had a knowing smirk on her face.

Draco was about to retort when another white-blonde haired individual made their way over, "Now, now Draco, that's no way to treat people. Ah, Harry Potter, and little Madeline-Rose Potter",

Harry and Rose only Quirked an eyebrow up at the gentleman, "Ah, but where are my manners, Lucius Malfoy" Lucius said, as he stuck his hand out to shake Harry's hand, ignoring Rose,

Harry hesitantly shook Lucius' hand, only realising his mistake as Lucius pulled him forward and pushed his hair up with his cane,

"Forgive me…your scar is…legendary, and of course so it the wizard that gave it to you" Lucius drawled,

Harry forcibly pulled back away from Lucius' grip, earning him a smirk from the man as he directed his attention to the others around him,

"Ah, and you must be Ms Granger, my son has told me…much, about yourself", he said as he directed his attention to Hermione,

Lastly, he drew his attention to Ginny and Ron, "Let me guess, tattered second hand books," Lucius said, picking up one of Ginny's books from her cauldron, "Tattered second-hand robes, ghastly red-hair, you two must be Weasleys",

Ginny and Ron glared at the older Malfoy as Draco smirked at his father's comments. They were about to retort when Arthur came over to hurry the children along, "Alright you lot, time to get going, your mothers gotten your books…ah… Lucius",

"Arthur, a pleasure to see you as always", Lucius sneered,

"I wish the same could be said about yourself Malfoy", Arthur sneered right back,

"As always, you Weasleys bring disgrace to the wizard world, consorting with muggles" Lucius shot back, as he made a pointed look over to the Grangers and Evans who Molly was helping.

Arthur was seeing red by now, "Oh, we have a very different meaning to what brings disgrace to wizards Malfoy",

"Is that so, is that why you associate yourself with half-bloods, and filthy mud-bloods", Lucius spat,

No words were exchanged from that point on, only blows as Arthur launched himself into Lucius, and Ron and Harry launched in to help him, and to place a few blows on the little shit Draco, who had the gall to smirk at his father's attacks,

A number of wizards, including Sirius and Alex who had been making their way over to the group, had to step in to break up the fight, before the two men finally detached themselves from each other. Harry and Ron were soon dragged back as well by their sisters and Hermione. Lucius and Draco managed to slink back out the front door, Lucius throwing Ginny's book back into her cauldron with force before joining his son. Molly and Juni strode over as the fight broke up and began to chastise the men for their actions.

"Honestly Arthur! You should know by now that there's no point in engaging with that slug of a man!" Molly chastised, "And Ronald! There was no need for you to intervene in that situation!",

Rose and Juni were equally as upset at Harry for his brash actions, "And what did that achieve, hey Harry?! Not even the start of the school year and you want to end up in detention" Rose growled,

Sirius and Alex could only look on at their male counterparts with smug smiles on their faces, before the women descended on them equally for not intervening sooner, causing the two to slink back towards their companions,

"Come on kids, let's go check out the Quidditch store before we all lose our heads", Sirius suggested as he tugged Harry and Ron out the front door, leaving Arthur and Alex to take the full brunt of a combined Molly and Juniper attack.

The day was much more subdued from then on, as the group finished up their shopping and headed back home. The Potters and Evans spent the evening at the Burrow that night, enjoying a scratch match of Quidditch as Molly and Juni prepared dinner inside. Percy was still stuck up in his room, supposedly working on school assignments, so the twins took it within themselves to fly as fast as possible past his window in order to create as much noise as possible, leading to Percy sticking his head out the window,

"Would you two please keep it down!"

His reaction only caused a ruckus of laughter from the group below, as the kids continued to fly around the Burrow at Percy's expense. At some point, Harry and Ginny ended up floating up high above the rest of the group, allowing for them to have some well needed privacy,

"Harry?"

Harry looked over at Ginny, who was floating next to him, "Hm? What's up Gin?".

Ginny looked at him abashedly as she twirled a lock of her red hair between her fingers, "Did you mean what you said today…at the bookstore?"

"Which part?" Harry chuckled,

"You know which part," Ginny glared,

Harry's smiled faded a little as it turned into a more honest grin, "Of course I did, as far as I'm concerned you're my girlfriend…if that's okay of course!" Harry quickly added,

Ginny nodded fiercely, "Of course, I just…we haven't really talked about this since last Christmas…"

"I thought I made myself pretty clear on your birthday,"

Ginny shrugged a bit, "It's just that you're young…I'm young…how do we know what we're feeling is real? Not just some silly little crush."

Harry slowly floated over to Ginny and wrapped an arm around her, "When I look at you…my heart feels like it's going to explode from the amount of emotion flowing through it. My blood thrums with heat and my head goes woozy at the sight of you. Ever since I met you I've felt it" Harry took her hand and placed it on his heart, "Can you feel that? That's my heart beating for you. I know we're young, but it feels so right…doesn't it?",

"It does…" Ginny whimpered a little as she closed the distance between them even further and placed her head on his chest,

"I won't ever force you to be with me Ginny, but I honestly believe that something has drawn us together…that we were made for each other" Harry stroked Ginny's hair softly, "If you don't want to be with me that's fine. If you want to go off and have another boyfriend instead of me then I won't hold that against you."

"Never…" Ginny said in barely a whisper,

Harry smiled as he brushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. Looking up at Harry, Ginny acted on her emotions and planted a kiss onto Harry's lips. This kiss was more passionate then their small chaste kisses from before. It made them both heat up as their lips moved against each other's. To the well-trained eye, you could just barely make out the soft glow that radiated from the pair of them as their lips continued to latch onto the others. The voice of Molly calling everyone in for dinner broke them out of their trance, quickly pulling apart and blushing madly as Harry smiled goofily at Ginny and Ginny vice versa. Making their way down to the ground and back into the house, they spied Rose landing next to them as she shot them both a smirk as she came into step next to them.

"Have a good chat you lot", she asked,

Harry gave a shrug and a smile as Ginny reddened, "You could say that,"

Rose smiled up at her big brother and at her best friend as they sat down at the table in the kitchen.

As always, the meal was spectacular, and desserts only ended up stuffing them with more food, threatening to explode the lot of them. Baying the Weasleys goodnight, the Evans household made their way back home, hoping that the floo wouldn't pop them open. Sirius was the first to bed that night, as Arthur and Alex had engaged him in a small drinking competition, sampling a bottle of Scotch that Alex had acquired earlier from Diagon Alley.

Rose and Harry weren't far behind, however as they were dragging themselves up the stairs and to their rooms, they stopped at the sound of a bed squeaking coming from Harry's room. Little Jeanne was scratching to be let into Harry's room, yipping quietly as she tried to force her way in.

"What's the matter girl?" Rose asked and Harry reached for his door,

Upon opening it, they both let out a squeak as a small humanoid creature stopped bouncing up and down on Harry's bed, and turned to face the two Potters,

"Harry Potter! What an honour!" the creature bowed down,

Jeanne let out a bark and growled as she stood her ground by her master's feet. Harry meanwhile, turned to his sister with a raised eyebrow, "Um…hello? Can I help you?",

The creature's eyes widened before it broke out in tears, "Harry Potter, is asking if he could help! Oh, you truly are a great wizard!",

Rose stepped into the room at this point, "Who are you?"

"Oh my! Miss Potter! My name is Dobby, Miss Potter, humble house elf", Dobby told them,

"Um…no offence Dobby, but why are you here?", Harry asked,

Dobby paced the room anxiously as he looked at the two Potters, "Dobby has come to warn the young Potters that you cannot return to Hogwarts this year",

Rose let out a bit of a strangled noise as Harry furrowed his brow, "Why not! This is Rose's first year, and I'm not going to be missing a year of school",

"No no! you must not return to Hogwarts! There is great danger awaiting you there this year!",

Rose snorted, "So why didn't you come last year, Harry here had to face Voldemort all over again",

Dobby flinched and yelped at the mention of the dark lord's name, "You do not understand, Dobby's owners are planning to do much harm to the school this year! Harry and Miss Potter are in much danger!",

"Look Dobby, as much as I'm touched by your concern, I don't think Dumbledore is going to let My sister or myself be harmed whilst we're there", Harry said,

"Besides, haven't you heard, my big brother is a wizarding hero", Rose smirked, earning her a glare from Harry,

"Oh, Dobby knows how legendary Mr Potter is, but Dobby must do his duty to protect Mr and Miss Potter!",

Harry and Rose shook their head, "Look Dobby, we'll do our best to stay out of trouble and be safe, but I'm not about to miss my first year, and Harry can't just miss his second year", Rose told him,

Dobby's eyes widened in fear as he processed what they just said, "NO! You's cannot return to Hogwarts this year! Dobby's master will hurt the Potters!",

"Who're your masters Dobby?" Harry asked, bending down to Dobby's level,

Dobby shook his head from side to side, "Dobby's owners are very bad wizards, very, very bad wizards",

At realising what he had just said, Dobby ran around the room, before bashing his head into Harry's cupboard door,

"Dobby stop! What are you doing!" Harry shouted,

By this point, Sirius was awake and making his way into the room, "What on earth is going on in here…um…hello",

Dobby stopped and stared up at Sirius for a bit, "Master Black! Dobby did not realise you lived with Harry Potter",

Sirius cocked his eyebrow as he looked at Rose and Harry, "I'm Harry and Rose's godfather, I must ask you however, what you are doing here",

"Dobby' here, has just told us that Rose and I can't go back to Hogwarts due to some unknown terror that is going to happen at the school", Harry answered for Dobby,

Sirius let out a snort as he eyed the little house elf, "And let me guess, you can't tell them why?",

Dobby nodded his head up and down as Sirius let out a sigh, "Listen Dobby, Harry and Rose will be perfectly fine at Hogwarts, Dumbledore will make sure of that, as will the rest of the staff, and if not, My Friends and I will be there to guard them if need be",

Rose and Harry gave Sirius a look as he simply shrugged and smiled back, earning him a smile from both of them.

Dobby shook his head violently, "If Harry and Miss Potter refuse Dobby's warning, then Dobby has no choice", with a click of his fingers, Dobby vanished into thin air, leaving the others baffled,

"What on earth was all that about" Rose asked,

Harry gave a shrug as he entered further into his room and sat on the bed, "No bloody idea, but are all house elves that spastic",

Sirius let out a snort as he leaned against the doorframe, "No, most are quite timid, however some are either extremely hyper, extremely submissive, or extremely grumpy…I remember the Black family house elf Kreacher, he was a piece of work",

Rose giggled as she made her way over to her brother, helping little Jeanne up onto the bed, "Well, I think that's enough excitement for tonight, night Harry",

Harry hugged and kissed his sister's brow, "Night Rose, see you in the morning",

"Night you two, let me know if any crazy house elves come back" Sirius called out as he left for his room,

"Night Sirius!" The two Potters called out,

Rose sat on her brother's bed for a bit before leaving however, "Do you think what Dobby said is true?"

Harry looked at his sister for a moment before replying, "I don't know Rose, but what I do know…is that no matter what, I will protect you with my entire soul and being. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you, they'll have to kill me first",

"Don't say that…" Rose whispered as tears threatened to spill from her eyes,

"I love you Rose, you are the most important thing in my life, and I would gladly give my life to protect you…besides, last time I tried that it kinda backfired" Harry said, pointing to his scar,

Rose snorted as she snuggled into her brother's side, "Is it okay if I stay here tonight?",

Harrys only response was to lift his sister up and plop her on 'her' side of the bed.

"You're welcome to stay with me anytime you want before we head off to Hogwarts",

Rose nodded as she laid her head down onto the pillows, "I love you Harry",

Harry smiled at his sister as he plopped into bed with her, laying a kiss to her forehead, "I love you to Rosey, now get some sleep, don't let the house elves bite",

Rose looked at her brother sharply, "Do you think they bite?!",

Harry just snorted as he rolled over and turned off the light.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

September 1st rolled round quicker than any of the Hogwarts students cared to admit, and before they knew it, they were being shouted at from down the stairs to hurry along lest they be late. Harry and Rose ended up being two of those students, as they both lugged their trunks down the stairs where Juni, Alex and Sirius were waiting. Luckily for Rose and Harry, they would be taking the floo to Kings Cross today, as the Ministry had just hooked up brand new floo fireplaces in the wizarding part of the train station.

"My little girls heading off to Hogwarts, gosh…you look just like your mother when we took her that day" Juni gushed as she hurried over to embrace her granddaughter,

Alex joined her soon as he too wrapped his arms around his granddaughter, "We're so proud of you sweetheart, and your mum and dad would be too"

Rose nodded her head as she buried her head into her grandfather's chest, "Thanks Grandpa",

Harry was next to receive the hugs as Sirius hurried up and claimed Rose next, "You have fun okay pup, and remember, I'm always a floo call away if you need to talk alright" Sirius said as he brushed a lock of Rose's hair behind her ear,

Rose nodded as she tucked herself into Sirius, "Thanks Padfoot, I'll miss you",

"The same goes to you too Harry, call anytime you need alright" Sirius said as he wrapped him up into a tight hug,

As they made their way over to the fireplace, they threw in their floo powder and turned around to face their family, "We'll see you all later then" Rose said as she took her brothers hand with her free one,

"We love you both so very much" Juni gushed as she waved to them, "Stay safe, and have fun",

Harry and Rose grinned, "We love you to Grandma, you to Gramps, Padfoot, we'll see you at Christmas",

And with that, the two siblings stepped into the fireplace and called for Kings Cross. A moment later they were spat out at the bustling Wizarding section of Kings Cross. Harry quickly dragged Rose away from the fireplace, as to avoid being hit behind from any incoming people. Walking onto the Hogwarts express, the two ran into a couple of familiar faces.

"Harry! Rose! How are you!" Hermione called out as she popped her head out from a compartment. Alec was quick to follow her as he made his way over to them

"Look what the cat dragged in, how are you Harry, Rose",

Harry gave a shrug as he shook his friends hand, "Not bad, how was Australia?",

Alec gave them a chuckle as he went over to hug Rose lightly, causing the youngest Potter to blush, "It was good, bloody cold though, it's winter down under, and now we're getting back to winter here so joy" Alec said sarcastically,

"It can't be that bad can it, I mean anything's better than the heat" Rose asked,

Alec snorted, "My sweet summerchild, you haven't experienced heat until you've experienced an Australian Christmas",

"Come on you lot, let's get your trunks put away anyway" Hermione was quick to interrupt, getting impatient,

"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a twist luv", Alec shot back smirking,

Hermione only shot him a dirt look as Rose thumped him on the back, "Watch it you, or else I'll be having to use this wand, and the hexes Harry's taught me, on your backside", Rose chided,

Alec threw his hands up in surrender as he made his way into the compartment and helped the two Potters put their trunks into the luggage compartments. Finishing up, they made their way back out onto the platform in order to await the Weasleys, who, although now could use the floo, would inevitably still be late. They sat themselves down at one of the hastily constructed cafés that had sprung up with the fireplaces, and waited for any sign of the Weasleys whilst sipping on some poorly made café tea.

"Bloody hell, I thought the English knew how to make a proper brew", Alec said as he grimaced over his tea,

Eventually a sea of red hair appeared from one of the fireplaces as the Weasley clan hurried to make their way over to the train. In true Weasley fashion it was 10 to 11 by the time they arrived. The group of friends hurried over to catch their attention before they stepped onto the train.

"RON!" Harry called out,

His best mate snapped around at hearing his name and broke out into a toothy grin at seeing his friends, "Hey you lot, here early I see, this new floo network is wicked, got to sleep in until 10 this morning!"

Harry and Alec snorted as they greeted their mate with a handshake, and a hug from Hermione.

"We've already got a compartment set up if you wanna follow us" Rose said as she sprung forward to greet Ginny with a hug,

"Sounds alright to me, lead on McDuff", Ginny answered,

The Weasleys bayed their mother goodbye as Molly kissed their cheeks and wrapped them all into bear hugs, including the Potters, Hermione and Alec, before wishing them best wishes and waving them off onto the train. The twins disappeared with a goodbye to find their own friends as they hopped onto the train and made their way to the compartment. Sitting down, Harry was flanked by Rose and Ginny on either side as Hermione, Alec and Ron took the bench opposite them. Before the train took off however, they were interrupted by the airy voice of Luna Lovegood,

"Hello everyone, mind if I join you in here? Every other compartment is full of nargles I'm afraid",

"Luna! Of course, come in!" Ginny cried as she moved over for her long-time friend,

"How was Australia Luna?" Rose asked as she leaned forward,

Harry helped Luna place her trunk up top as she answered, "It was very nice, a bit cold but that was perfect weather to find Bunyips",

"See, what did I tell you, cold!" Alec cried out,

Rose rolled her eyes as Harry sat back down next to her, "Did you catch any Bunyips?" Rose asked,

Luna shook her head, "I'm afraid not, we heard them at night but they were too afraid to approach",

Hermione snorted, "Or it could be that they don't exist",

"Of course, they exist, you don't think we make this stuff up do you?" Alec chided,

Hermione gaped her mouth a bit before retreating further into her seat. Ron and Harry chuckled as Alec continued, "Bunyips, Yowies, Drop Bears, they'll all tear you a new one if you're not careful, and don't even get me started on kangawalladingos",

"Oh, I don't know, Drop Bears are quite cuddly you know" Luna responded,

"You try saying that after you've seen them gut a big red" Alec grimaced.

The train trip to Hogwarts continued in similar fashion, with the friends catching up and talking about their holidays since the last time they saw each other. As usual, Draco Malfoy and his goons stopped by to pay a visit, however their verbal assault was met with some rather unique and frankly hilarious commentary from Luna,

"Is this because of your inferiority complex?"

Draco looked at Luna for a second, "What did you say",

Luna looked nonplussed, "I asked if you act like this because of your inferiority complex, or is it because of your daddy issues?"

Draco began to redden, "How dare you suggest such a thing!",

"Well if its neither of those is it because of your desire to be famous and popular like Harry?"

"POTTER IS NEITHER POPULAR OR FAMOUS!" Draco shouted back,

Ron and Alec were about to put an end to this with some quick wand work when Luna delivered the final blow, "Is it because your mother doesn't love you? I don't have a mother anymore so I know how you feel, but at least I knew she loved me, do you want to talk about it?"

Draco just stared at Luna, opened mouthed before he quickly left the compartment muttering, "Mummy" quietly to himself,

"Bloody hell Luna, what was that", Ron asked,

Luna turned around to look at her friends, "What? I was just trying to understand him, who is he by the way?"

Everybody roared with laughter as Luna just sat there smiling airily to herself. Before long, the train was pulling into Hogsmeade station, as the sun dipped below the horizon. The Girls had stepped out to allow the boys to change before the boys did the same for the girls. Rose noticed the new locket around her best friend's neck as they were changing.

"Hey Ginny, where'd you get that locket?" she asked,

Ginny blushed as she picked up the locket and brushed a thumb over it, "Um…Harry gave it to me…on my birthday",

By this stage both other girls had noticed the locket too, "Oh my, it is rather lovely isn't it" Hermione said, looking at said locket,

"He must care very deeply about you to give you such a lovely piece of metal" Luna said in her usual airy tone,

Ginny blushed at the attention and quickly slipped on her robes in order to hide it again. Rose just smiled at her friend as she wrapped an arm around her friend's waist. Although both girls grew during the holidays, Rose was still a good 5 inches shorter then Ginny, who was herself a number of inches shorter then Harry and her brother and Alec, making Rose the right size to slot herself underneath her friend's arm as she gave her a one-armed hug.

As they disembarked the train, the familiar call of Hagrid came over the station platform, calling for the first years.

Turning to her brother, Rose gave Harry a smile as she hugged him and waved him off as she went and joined Ginny and Luna in taking the boats across the lake,

"I'll see you at the feast alright, have fun, and don't worry okay?" Harry called to her,

Rose nodded her head, "See you then Harry",

Following her friends, she stepped into one of the rickety boats as Hagrid came around the corner,

"Alright there Rosey" he called out,

"Just dandy Hagrid, how were your holidays?",

Hagrid cleared his throat a bit as he stepped into his own boat, "T'was alright, the gardens got a flubberworm infestation at the mo', gotta get rid of 'em so I've been at it all summer",

Rose nodded her head and waved goodbye as the groundskeeper beckoned his craft on. Another first-year boy had joined Luna and Ginny in their boat, who quickly introduced himself,

"Hello! I'm Colin, Colin Creevy!", he stuck his hand out to shake theirs,

"Hello Colin, it's very nice to meet you, you seem to have a few nargles around your head though, you might want to get checked out" Luna told him,

"Don't worry about that, that's Luna Lovegood, and I'm Ginny Weasley" Ginny answered as Colin gave Luna a funny look,

"And I'm Rose Potter, it's nice to meet you Colin", Rose shook his hand,

"Potter! As in Harry Potter!"

Rose let out a sigh, "He's my brother",

Colin's eyes went wide as a big open-mouthed smile came over him, "Oh this is fantastic! Can I take your photo?!"

"Uh…sure…" Rose said,

Before she could ready herself, a sharp flash of light blinded her as Colin's old Muggle Camera snapped off a shot of the young Potter,

"Bloody hell, you want to blind someone with that!" Someone called from another boat as Colin gave them a sheepish smile and wave,

"I have to agree, I'm going to be seeing stars for a while I think", Rose said as she shook her head,

Drifting over the lake, the friends chatted with the excitable Colin before they were all silenced as Hogwarts came into view from around the corner. Rose had never seen anything as beautiful or grand in her life, and simply stared at it, open mouthed, as the boats drifted closer and closer to the castle. Eventually, the boats drew up into the cave underneath the castle, and the first years disembarked and followed Hagrid up the flight of stairs that led into the castle. Awaiting them at the top of the stairs was Professor McGonagall, someone Harry had spoken of fondly over the holidays.

"Welcome first years, you are about to enter the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into houses which you shall share classes with, meals, and dormitories with. While you are here, your house is your family, however, do not let that stop you from mixing with the other houses. Now, if you would all follow me",

The professor turned sharply on her heals and entered the Great Hall where at the end of the hall sat the sorting hat.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

After saying goodbye to his sister, Harry followed his friends to the carriages that would be awaiting to take them up to the school. Finding one that was empty, they all climbed aboard, settling themselves in. They were interrupted as Neville came around and asked to join them,

"Hey guys, sorry…everywhere else is full, is it okay if I squish in here?" He asked softly,

Harry made room and beckoned him in, "Of course, come on in Neville, how were your holidays?",

Neville shrugged, "It was alright, my Gram took me to London to see the royal flower show, other than that nothing really special",

Harry gave his friend a sad smile as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "well, let's hope this year will be better than the holidays, no more Voldemort or trouble, just a normal year",

Neville smiled up at Harry as he nodded. Soon enough, the carriages were pulling up to the entryway of the Castle, and the students began to disembark, making their way into the Great Hall where students and staff began to pile in and sit down. As they waited, Harry and his friends caught up with their other friends, including Seamus, Dean, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. They all spoke of their holidays and what they had gotten up to. Lavender was quite interested in Alec's excursion to Australia, or at least she was pretending to be as she ran a hand over his wrist, squeezing when Alec dramatized being chased by a Kangaroo.

Their conversation was interrupted when the doors to the Great Hall flew open and McGonagall waltzed in with the first years in tow. Harry looked around for his sister, giving her a broad smile when he found her and Ginny. They all lined up and waited patiently as McGonagall called out the names one by one. Harry was only half paying attention as the rest of it was focused on his sister who was fidgeting nervously. He was shaken out of his trance when a bright flash of light blinded him,

"HI HARRY!" Someone called,

"Uh…Hello?"

"I'm Colin, Colin Creevy! I just met your sister on the boat, she's rather cute isn't she!" Colin exclaimed,

Harry's eyebrow rose as he examined the boy in front of him, not noticing the glare Alec was giving him across the table, "Nice to meet you Colin, I guess I don't need an introduction then",

"Oh no of course not! I'm in Gryffindor by the way! Just got sorted then, can I have your photo?"

"Didn't you just get my photo?" Harry asked,

Colin looked at him sheepishly as he raised his camera and pleaded with his eyes,

"Oh, go on then, make it quick", Harry said, putting up with the blinding light once more,

"Thanks Harry!" and with that Colin was off,

Ron was shaking his head at this point, "what a nutter",

Harry was about to respond when he heard Luna's name being called up. Watching intently, Harry watched as the sorting hat took a full minute to decide to finally put her in Gryffindor, much to her surprise by the look on her face. Walking over to the table, Hermione made room for her as she sat down opposite Harry and Ron.

"I didn't think I would end up in Gryffindor, daddy said I would most likely be in Ravenclaw like mummy",

"Sorry Luna" Harry said sincerely,

Luna shook her head, "Oh no I'm not upset, just surprised, I'm quite glad to be here in fact, as I'm sure Ginny and Rose will be here",

Harry nodded his head as he drew his attention back to the front. Eventually Rose was called up, causing a small burst of whispering to spring up. Apparently not everybody was aware that Harry had a younger sister. Harry crossed his fingers as the sorting hat was placed on his sister's head, praying to anyone that would listen that his sister would join him.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

Rose was beyond nervous as the sorting hat was placed on her head. Luna had been sorted into Gryffindor, much to her surprise as she had expressed the idea that she would most likely be in Ravenclaw like her parents. As the hat snuggled onto her head, the brim going over her eyes, a voice popped into her head,

"Ah, another Potter, hopefully you don't end up like the Weasleys, they might as well own the school",

Rose snorted, "Careful you, those are my friends you're talking about",

"My apologies, now, down to the matter at hand. You Potters certainly don't make things easy, you are so much like your brother its troublesome"

"You know us Potters",

"Indeed, your father was hard to place as it was. Now, I don't see any real reason to place you anywhere but where you deserve",

"And where is that oh glorious talking hat"

"Why it has to be GRYFFINDOR!"

Without thinking, Rose tore the hat off her head and ran over to her brother, who apparently had the same idea, as he was already standing, arms outstretched, waiting for his sister. Colliding into her brother, who swung her around in the air, she could faintly hear the sounds of the Weasley twins shouting out, "WE GOT THE POTTERS! WE GOT THE POTTERS!",

Taking a seat next to her brother, she laid her head on Harry's shoulder as his arm snaked around her back,

"Welcome to Gryffindor Rose" Harry told her, leaning down to kiss her brow,

Rose sighed contently as she sat back up, "Good to be here, so, what I miss?",

The group of friends welcomed her into their conversation as they sat around waiting for the last Weasley to come and join them. As predicted, Ginny was sorted into Gryffindor, barely having the hat on her head for a few seconds before she was called into her family's house. She made her way over to where Rose and Harry were sitting as the Twins ran around to hoist her up onto their shoulders, causing her to squeal,

"Welcome to Gryffindor little sis"

"Yeah, welcome to the club little sis",

Setting her down next to Harry, the twins mussed up her hair as they re-joined their friends.

"Didn't have a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't be here" Harry told her as she looked around,

She gave him an impish grin in return as Harry slipped his hand into hers underneath the table. Their attention was soon drawn to the headmaster, as Dumbledore stood up to deliver his usual beginning of year speech. As usual, he reminded students not to go into the forbidden forest, of the rules put in place by Filch, and of Quidditch tryouts. Lastly, he introduced the only new member of staff, one Gilderoy Lockhart, much to the dismay of Harry and his friends, minus Hermione.

"I can't believe they hired Lockhart to be our DADA teacher", Ron exclaimed as he started to load his plate with food,

"Honestly Ronald, I think you're blowing this much to out of proportion, I'm sure Professor Lockhart is an extremely competent teacher", Hermione chided him,

Harry and Ron gave each other a look as they rolled their eyes, "Well, I'm sure he's better then Quirrell at the very least" Harry commented.

Rose snorted next to him, "Well that can't be hard, after all, Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort",

A number of students at the table flinched at hearing the name, but Rose and Harry merely rolled their eyes. Harry looked back to the head table, letting his eyes wander over the staff members. Besides Lockhart there were no other new staff members. His eyes locked on Dumbledore's for a moment, who graced Harry with a smile and a nod of his head as Harry smiled and nodded back. Rose looked at her brother for a moment before following his gaze to the head table, waving her hand at Dumbledore who appeared to chuckle back. Eventually their eyes were drawn to Snape's, as the potions professor nodded at Harry who returned the greeting. However, when he laid his eyes on Rose, the professor couldn't help but let his mouth hang open for a moment before he tugged his eyes violently away. Rose turned back to look at her brother, who only shrugged in response, and turned back to his plate. Rose stared at the professor for a moment longer before returning to her own food, missing the look that the professor gave after their eyes were off of him.

As the night dragged on, the stomachs of students and staff expanded, and eventually the signal for everyone to depart was given. Rose, Ginny and Luna followed the Prefects as they led the first years up to Gryffindor tower. Harry and his friends followed soon after, enjoying the walk back to the tower, chatting to each other. When they entered the common room, the first-year girls were already waiting for them on one of the couches by the fireplace, chatting amongst themselves.

"So, what do you think of your new home girls?", Harry asked as he took a seat next to his sister,

Rose gave her brother a brilliant smile, "It's fantastic! It's better than I ever thought! And I haven't even had a class yet",

"Just wait till you have homework, then you'll change your mind", Ron joked, earning him a glare from Hermione,

"You'll enjoy yourself here Rose, you too Ginny, Luna, as long as you study hard, like Harry and not Ron and Alec", Hermione chided as she shot the boys a look,

Said boys shot their hands up in the air in surrender as Harry let out a chuckle, "Honestly you lot, you're only to find school harder as you go along", Hermione added,

"That's why we've got you 'mione, what would we do without you", Ron said as he shot Hermione a gushy look, causing the bushy-haired girl to blush furiously,

"Alright love birds, I think I'm gonna turn in for the night, night you lot", Alec called as he headed off for the boy's dorm.

Ron and Hermione spluttered a bit as the others let out a laugh.

"I think I might follow Alec's lead and turn in, night Rosey, night everyone", Harry said as he gave his sister a light kiss to her cheek,

Ginny followed his movements to the edge of the stairs with her eyes before she turned back to her friends and brother, "I think Harry and Alec have the right idea, time for bed I say",

Everybody nodded at the idea and said their various goodbyes before they headed up to their respective dorms. Ginny, Luna and Rose headed up to the first-year girl's dorm, and immediately made themselves comfortable, laying down on their beds to chat away as the other first year girls piled in. Rose perked up when Ginny pulled out a thin black book from her trunk.

"What you got there Ginny?" Rose asked her,

Ginny looked up at her best friend and gave a shrug, "It's a diary mum and dad got me…I think. It kinda ended up in my book pile so I just thought it was a gift from them",

"Not Harry then" Rose smirked,

Ginny blushed as she shut her trunk with a thump, "Shush you, Harry wouldn't have gotten me such a raggedy diary if it was him",

Rose nodded her head, "More than likely, that book looks like it's about to fall apart at any moment",

Luna in the meantime was eyeing the book with a dirty look that neither Rose or Ginny had ever seen before,

"What's the matter Luna?" Ginny asked as she sat down on her bed,

Luna snapped out of her trance to give her friends an airy smile, "Oh, nothing, just noticing how…dirty that book looks",

"It is rather filthy isn't it, oh well, it's mine now that's all that matters", Ginny gave a shrug,

As the girls turned in for the night, Luna couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling about Ginny's diary, however she pushed it to the back of her mind, labelling it as her imagination, not something that she often did. Rose in the meantime couldn't sleep for a different reason that night, she was too excited for her first class the next day, and then her birthday the day after, where she would be spending it with her brother once again. She had missed him at her birthday last year, however much she enjoyed having her friends there with her. However, as she listened to the sounds of snoring and girls rustling in their sleep, she couldn't help but feel content as she realised she was about to start learning magic, alongside her big brother and her best friends. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was the Potter siblings, and for the first time in her life, Rose truly felt at peace as she drifted off to sleep for the first time at Hogwarts.


	16. The Chamber Opens

**Memories of the past, Detention again, the Chamber opens: Chapter 16**

Come September 2nd, Rose was the first one up before any of her new dormmates and friends. The sun was barely streaking over the horizon when the young Potter was jumping out of bed and heading for the showers, anxious to start her first day of classes at Hogwarts. Luna was up soon after that, joining her friend in getting ready as the other girls slept in. They kept quiet in order to let their friends sleep on, especially Ginny, who seemed to have a bit of a rough night last night with tossing and turning. Making their way downstairs, they weren't surprised when they were the only ones currently present in the common room. It wasn't long until the first signs of life started to appear however, as Hermione and a few other students began to descend down the stairs,

"Good morning Rose, Luna, sleep well?" The bushy haired witch asked as she took a seat next to them by the fireplace,

"Took a while but in the end, I managed it, too excited to start classes today", Rose explained,

"I agree, classes are going to be most enjoyable, I'm especially looking forward to charms", Luna added,

Rose nodded her head in agreement, "To be honest, I'm looking forward to potions most",

Hermione raised an eyebrow up at the young Potter, "Potions? Really?",

"Yeah, why not. I mean, I like making things by hand and as fun as waving a piece of wood around I find mixing and stirring concoctions much more entertaining", Rose gave Hermione a toothy grin,

Hermione shrugged and nodded her head as the girls settled into small talk waiting for the rest of their friends to finally grace them with their presence. Harry was the next to come down, alongside Neville. Making their way over, Harry plumped himself down next to his sister and ruffled her hair,

"Ready for your first day Rosey", Harry asked,

Rose just rolled her eyes as she deflected her brothers' hand, "I was just telling Hermione that, so yes I am",

"I'm not looking forward to potions if we have it today…" Neville said,

Harry shot him a sympathetic look, "Sorry Neville, here's hoping that Snape has worked the stick out of his arse",

"Harry!" Hermione chided,

"What?" Harry just chuckled as Hermione gave him a glare and Rose and Neville chuckled.

"I think professor Snape just needs to get rid of the Nargle infestation in him" Luna added casually,

The group of friends gave her a look before they all burst into laughter. Before long the rest of the gang managed to separate themselves from bed, as Ginny came down followed by Ron and Alec.

"Why can't we start tomorrow…or the next day…or next week", Ron managed to say as he sat down next to Harry,

"I don't think school works that way Ron", Alec added with a chuckle,

Ginny plumped herself down next to Rose as she turned to face her friend, "Did you sleep alright last night Ginny?" Rose asked

Ginny turned her attention to her friend, "What? Oh yeah, fine I guess, a little disturbed but that's usual for sleeping in a new place",

Rose eyed her friend cautiously, "Let us know if it keeps happening okay?",

Ginny nodded as she stood up and held her hand out to Rose, "Come on, lets grab some breakfast, everyone coming?",

Rose accepted the lift up and turned to give Harry a look of hurry up. Rolling his eyes, Harry got up and beckoned to the rest of the group to follow them. The group nodded their heads and let out affirmatives as they wandered over to the portrait hole and stepped out into the hallway, heading down to the Great Hall. The majority of the school was still asleep, so finding a spot at the Gryffindor table was easy. The group started to load their plates up as Professor McGonagall roamed around, handing out timetables to the group,

"Miss Potter, I look forward to seeing you in transfiguration today, I'm sure you'll be beating your brother in no time", the older witch said, giving Rose a rare smile,

Rose smiled back up at her as Harry spluttered on his breakfast, "Thanks Professor, I look forward to seeing you today",

Nodding her head, McGonagall made herself scarce as the rest of the student body began to flood into the hall. Harry shot the Slytherins a glare as Malfoy and his cronies made a move to come over and disrupt their morning, earning him a rather rude hand motion from the young Slytherin. Harry rolled his eyes and continued on eating, ignoring Draco as the boy continued to taunt the Gryffindor's.

The group of friends sat and chatted as they dug into their food, or their thirds in the case of Ron. Half way through Ron's fourth serve, the daily mail, delivered by the owls, arrived and with it came two letters for the young Potters with Hedwig and Zeus carrying them for their respective owners.

Unstrapping the letter attached to Zeus's leg, Rose broke open the seal and began to read, "It's a letter from Sirius, just asking us how the trip was and wishing us luck, sending lots of love", Rose turned to her brother, "What about you?",

Harry nodded his head, "Same, although he added that I should try and be careful after the Dobby incident",

The group of friends looked up from their breakfast upon hearing Harry's words, "Dobby incident?" Hermione asked,

Harry nodded his head as he told his friends what had occurred before they left for school, about the late-night house elf visitor.

"Sounds like either this Dobby has either lost his marbles…or is right and you should be watching your back", Ron told his best mate,

"Honestly, I don't like it either Harry, I think you should tell Dumbledore when you get the chance" Hermione added,

Harry nodded his heads at his friends, "I agree, I'll see if I can catch up to him at some stage, otherwise I'm just going to have to keep my eyes open",

"Good idea mate, and we'll do the same don't you worry" Alec added,

Finishing up their breakfast, the group headed back up to Gryffindor tower to fetch their required books before they parted ways with the first-years and headed to their own classes,

"Good luck Rose, I know you'll do brilliantly", Harry gave his sister a tight hug as they separated at the portrait hole,

"Thanks Harry, I'll see you at lunch yeah?"

Harry nodded as he ruffled his sister's hair again,

"Oi! I just brushed it!",

Harry and his friends departed for their class as Harry chuckled away to himself, waving behind at his sister who returned it right back. The first lesson for the trio of first-years today was transfiguration with McGonagall, much like Harry's first year. Rose and her friends had arrived on time to the class and were welcomed much like her brother was, with a practical demonstration of some advanced transfiguration and a warning not to mess around in her class. Rose and her friends managed alright in the class, and even completed their assigned tasks on time, although Ginny had trouble with her wand, being unable to completely turn her matchstick into a needle. After stopping to chat with McGonagall for a bit, Rose continued on with her other classes. Defence against the dark arts was a joke, Lockhart simply couldn't teach for quids, and Rose couldn't wait to get out of there. She caught up with Harry and his friends at lunchtime, enjoying a nice spread of food whilst she told her brother about her first two classes. Harry had DADA with Lockhart first lesson and had to help Hermione clean up a rogue group of Cornish Pixies after the idiot Lockhart had set them loose to 'teach' the class. Poor old Neville ended up hanging by his robes on a chandelier. After lunch Rose had charms with Flitwick which she found was interesting. Rose excelled, earning herself praise from the tiny professor. Her last lesson of the day was Potions down in the dungeons with Professor Snape.

Rose wasn't sure what to expect from the potion master, who seemed to always cast a shadow of dread over the student body. Harry had spoken politely about him, although stressed that he was a hard marker and expected the best. So, when he stopped and gaped at her as he took the role, she was unsure of what to do,

"Madeline-Rose Potter?" Snape called out,

Rose stuck her hand up to answer, "present",

Snape had to do a double take as he looked at the girl sitting in front of him. Had she had the piercing green eyes of her brother Harry, Snape would of swore Lily Potter had come back from the grave to haunt him.

"Lily…" Snape whispered under his breath,

Rose looked at him curiously, "Professor?",

Snape shook his head and turned back to the board, forgetting the roll entirely, "The instructions for today's potions are on the board, break into groups and complete the required task, and try not to blow yourselves up",

Throughout the lesson Snape avoided Rose like the plague, focusing on anyone but her and Ginny who had paired up. Luna had gone off with another first-year Gryffindor who seemed to be just as confused as everyone else with Luna's form of conversation. Remarkably enough, Rose and Ginny managed to hand up a complete potion without any help from the potions master. As they handed up the vial of potion, Snape refused to meet Rose's eye as she handed it to him, instead focusing on the role of parchment on the table. As the lesson ended, Rose beckoned her friends to leave without her as she stayed behind to have a chat with the professor.

"Professor Snape?"

Snape let out an audible sigh as he turned his head up to face the source of the noise,

"Professor, have I done something to displease you?" Rose asked kindly,

Snape shook his head, "No, you haven't…Miss…Potter",

Rose was standing in front of his desk by now, "Why can't you look at me professor?",

Snape was trying not to break down in tears as the young Lily look alike stood in front of him. The last he had seen of the girl was when she was barely 2 months old, when he had run into the ruins of the Potter cottage to try and save his childhood friend.

"Miss Potter, unless you wish to discuss your work, I would ask you to please leave", Snape tried to answer in his most stern voice,

Rose turned on her heels and began to leave the room when Snape called out behind her, "Your potion was excellent Miss Potter…better than your brothers. 20 points to Gryffindor",

Rose blushed as she headed out of the dungeons, trying to pick up the pace to catch up to her friends.

Snape was glad the young Potter girl was gone, he couldn't cope if she had stayed any longer. His only hope was that the longer she was here at Hogwarts, the more use to her he would get. It was like seeing a ghost walk in through the doors when she had walked in with the young Weasley and Lovegood girls. He sat there at his desk for a good 10 minutes with his head in his hands as he contemplated what he was going to do. It was only after a student had knocked for the fifth time that Snape had pulled himself out of his own trance to get up and begin teaching the next class.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

The next day was Rose's 11th birthday, and although she was at school, she was showered in presents from her family and friends the morning of September 3rd. Harry had organised with Sirius and his grandparents to send her presents in the morning so that she could get them out the way before class. He had also pulled a few strings to allow her, a few of her friends and himself to skip the first lesson of the day in order be there for his sister's birthday. Fortunately, Harry had potions with Professor Snape that morning, and had been allowed to stay with Rose for the morning, although he tried to end the conversation as quickly as possible. Harry had an easy time also convincing Professor Flitwick to allow the girls to skip their first lesson, although the small, squeaky professor did hand him the homework for that night to give to the girls.

That morning, Rose and Harry sat with their friends at the Gryffindor table, digging in to the breakfast spread with impunity. Everyone wished the young Potter a happy 11th birthday, and had gifts passed to her from her friends, whilst the ones from her family and anyone else would be piled on her bed up in her dorm. As breakfast came to an end, Ron, Hermione, Alec and the other Weasley brothers bid Harry, Rose, Ginny and Luna goodbye as they headed to their own classes, which they couldn't manage to get out of. Heading back to Gryffindor tower, the group sat themselves down on one of the couches by the fireplace as Rose and Ginny sprinted up to the girl's dorm to fetch Rose's presents.

As they waited, Luna and Harry chatted about the state of the local centaur population residing in the Forbidden Forest. Harry had the unique experience of meeting the centaurs earlier in the year when he served detention with Hagrid in his first year. Several moments later, Rose and Ginny came back down from the girl's dorm with a large stack of presents in both set of arms. Plonking them down on the table in front of them, Rose started to get stuck in without a second guess, earning a chuckle from her brother.

From her grandparents Rose received some muggle perfume and beauty products. Remus, as always, gave Rose a book on useful everyday charms, such as cleaning charms, building and painting charms, personal grooming and basic healing spells. Sirius on the other hand, gave her a book on useful defensive and offensive spells that were suited for witches to use on over exertive or aggressive wizards. Ginny and Luna had a flip through the book as Harry chuckled to himself, knowing full well that Rose would have to use some of those spells the older she got, fighting off the boys that would naturally come floating her way. From Molly and Arthur, Rose was given some homemade fudge as well as a newly knitted pair of winter gloves for the coming months. The Weasley boys had chipped in to buy Rose a rare collection of Jane Austen novels, most of which were original editions. Hermione gave Rose a book on potions, whilst Alec had gone a cheekier route and gifted her a book entitled '101 ways to woo a wizard'. Needless to say, Harry wasn't impressed, only causing his sister and Ginny to laugh harder as he tried to be the over protective big brother. Luna's gift was by far the strangest, and as she opened the crudely wrapped brown paper, she had to wonder what on earth it was.

"It's a caste of Crumpe-Horned Snorkack's foot, Daddy managed to find one from a magizoologist in Stockholm. I asked if I could gift it to you since you seem to be the only other person besides Harry and Ginny that believe me, oh and of course Daddy", Luna explained brightly,

Rose nodded slowly as she looked at the hunk of stone in her hands. She had to admit, the footprint looked interesting, it was more like a hoof print then anything, but nonetheless, Rose thanked her friend for the present. Ginny's present was up next, and Rose couldn't help but be excited as she opened it up to reveal a pair of muggle binoculars, though she could tell they were second hand.

"Ginny! How did you find this, and how did you know?" Rose asked as she flung her arms around her best friend,

Ginny grinned sheepishly as she returned the embrace, "Harry may have let slip how you'd like your own pair after your Grandpa took you out birdwatching with him",

It was true, Rose had expressed a desire to have her own binoculars after Alex had taken her out during Harry's first year, to bird watch with him. She didn't think something she'd assume so boring could be so enjoyable, as she found watching not only the birds but all of the native English wildlife to be beautiful to watch.

"Thank you so much Ginny, they're beautiful, I'll make sure to put them to good use", Rose smiled at her friend.

Lastly, it came down to Harry's present. Rose had no idea what her brother had gotten her, but if she had to guess from the way his mouth was turned into a smug smile, she would hazard a guess to say it was going to be fantastic. Her guess was as good as gold, as a pair of bright, sparkling gold earrings with studs of red ruby in them, looked up at her from the paper they were wrapped in.

"They were mums, Dad gave them to her on her 18th birthday. I had Sirius fetch them from Gringotts during the holidays", Harry explained,

Rose let out a little meep sound as she fondled the pieces of jewellery, "I…I don't know what to say…",

Harry chuckled as he ruffled his sister's hair, "I didn't think it would have this effect on you",

As Rose turned to face her brother, Harry saw the tears that were threatening to overflow from her eyes. Harry wrapped her up in his arms as Rose let the tears fall away, soaking through his school robes, straight through to his shirt underneath as Rose bawled her eyes out. When she finally came up for air, her eyes were red and puffy, and tears still slowly flowed from them.

"Thank you, Harry, have I ever told you that you're the best brother in the world?" Rose said shakily,

"You may have mentioned it once or twice" Harry smiled as he brushed his sisters' tears away, "Come now, no need to cry, mum would've wanted you to have these someday anyway",

Rose nodded her head as she turned to look at her friends. Both Ginny and Luna had small smiles plastered on their faces, although Ginny's face bore the tell-tale signs of worry,

"I'm alright guys, it just caught me off guard that's all",

Ginny nodded as she came over and helped Rose clean up, casting a few charms which helped reduce the redness in her eyes and the puffing. Next, she helped Rose place the new earrings through her ears, handing back the simple diamond studs that Sirius had gotten for her last Christmas.

"Thank you so much all of you for your presents, I'll treasure them always" Rose said as she wiped her eyes of the last of her tears,

Harry and Ginny placed an arm each around her as the snuggled into her on the couch, "With pleasure Rose, what are best friends for" Ginny told her,

"I promised I would spoil you, now I'm fulfilling that promise", Harry said as he laid a kiss to her forehead,

At that moment, Rose felt like the luckiest girl in the world, even though she may not have her mother and father there, she still had her amazing brother, her mother's family and the best friends she could ever ask for.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

After Rose's birthday, the first few weeks of school began relatively easy in comparison to how Percy and the twins would describe their own starts of term. Harry and his friends had eased back into school work and homework, except Hermione of course. However, as October began, Harry began to notice how much more work he was receiving compared to last year, and if to prove that, Rose and Ginny would parade around how much less work they had then their siblings. Harry had been initially concerned that Rose would struggle, but those thoughts were soon pushed away as news of Rose's thriving school work reached his ears. Flitwick and McGonagall had both secretly confided in him that she was doing marvellously in her classes. What concerned him still though was the attitude of professor Snape in regards to his sister. Snape had continued to act completely closed off to Rose, and although she had a natural affinity for potions and didn't struggle in the least, the lack of communication was upsetting his sister, eventually she began to think that she had done something wrong to upset the Professor.

"Don't be ridiculous, how could anyone not like you," Harry had told his sister one night after dinner as they sat by themselves to chat,

"I don't know, I just think there's something about me that he can't seem to get past",

Harry gave this food for thought as he sat there, "Has he said anything to you at all?"

Rose shook her head before she thought about it a bit, "Well, on the first day when he called my name, he looked at me and said mum's name",

Harry's eyebrow rose a little, "Mum? How would he know mum?",

Rose shrugged, "No idea, but I distinctly remember him saying her name as he looked at me",

"Well you do look like mum, besides the you know, eyes", Harry chuckled,

Rose slugged his arm lightly, "Yes yes, you get the marvellous Evans eyes and I get the Potter eyes, don't laugh to hard pretty boy, you've still got dads messy hair",

As if to prove her point, Rose ruffled her brother's hair up even more with her hands.

"OI! It's bad enough without you ruffling it up even more",

Rose didn't find answers to her problems that night, and wouldn't for a number of months. However, all thought of the Professor was lost the next day as her brother and the young Malfoy heir came to literal blows down in the transfiguration courtyard.

Rose and her friends were sitting in the transfiguration courtyard on Saturday morning, talking and working through their homework when her brother came down with the rest of the Gryffindor team to go practice on the Quidditch pitch. Rose waved to her brother as they made eye contact, earning a return wave and smile from her brother, before his smile fell into a scowl as he noticed the Slytherin Quidditch team striding into the courtyard.

"I can't believe this", Oliver Wood muttered as he made a beeline for the Snakes,

"What do you think you're doing Flint", Oliver asked as him and the Lions pulled up in front of the Slytherins,

Flint merely passed the Gryffindor captain a slip of paper as he smugly smiled, "What does it look like, we're going down to practice, got permission and all",

Oliver read through note quickly, "I Professor Snape give the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to practice today on account of their new seeker", Oliver looked up, "You've got a new seeker, so who is he",

The Snakes parted as Malfoy stepped forward with a smug look on his face. Harry scoffed as he caught sight of him, "Malfoy, you're the new Slytherin seeker?",

"That's right Potter, and that's not all", Malfoy sneered as he turned his broom on the side, "Father made a rather lovely donation to the team this year. It's the new Nimbus 2001, outstrips the Nimbus 2000 by a mile",

The rest of the Slytherins turned their brooms, revealing that they all indeed had Nimbus 2001's. By this stage, Rose and her friends had decided to make their way over, as had Harry's friends who had noticed the confrontation.

"So, what, you bribed the team then did you Malfoy" Rose said as she came up alongside her brother,

Draco sneered as he looked down at the youngest Potter, "Shut it Potter, I doubt you'd know anything about Quidditch or brooms anyway",

"Besides my brother being the youngest seeker in a century and all that, no I wouldn't know a thing", Rose snorted,

Draco narrowed his eyes, "I wouldn't expect a daughter of a filthy mudblood who-",

Malfoy never did get to finish his sentence, as Harry lunged forward and planted a punch to Malfoys jaw, causing an audible crack to resonate through the courtyard. Fred and George jumped in by Harry's side as the Slytherins made a pass for him, and Ron, Alec, Ginny and Rose pulled out their wands as the other Slytherins at the rear made a move to draw theirs. No further bloodshed was shared that day as Professor McGonagall quickly rushed over to break up the fight,

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE!" McGonagall demanded as she stepped in between the two groups,

"Potter here just whacked Malfoy" Flint pointed an accusatory finger at Harry,

"That's because Malfoy called Harry's mum a mudblood!" Ginny stepped forward, her wand still out, "Sorry Harry…" Ginny muttered quickly after realising what she had said,

Harry waved it off as he looked at his head of house, "Is this true Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy",

"Of course it isn't! Potter just hit me for no reason!", Malfoy tried to say as he gripped his jaw,

Fred and George and the rest of the Gryffindor team cried out in anger, "You little liar! We all heard what you said!",

"What Ginny said is true Professor, Malfoy did call my mother that rather horrible word, and I'm quite happy to say that I whacked him one in return", Harry said calmly,

McGonagall took a deep breath in and out as she shut her eyes and placed a hand over her eyes, "Mr Potter, I can't have you attacking students and causing such damage, I'm afraid you're going to have to serve a detention",

The group cried out in outrage as Harry nodded his head, "I understand Professor",

"Only one night though. I will inform you of it tonight, and you can serve it tonight and get it over with. However, considering the circumstances, no points will be deducted",

McGonagall turned her eyes to the Slytherins now, "However, because of your intolerable actions Mr Malfoy, you shall be serving detention every night for the next two weeks! And 50 points from Slytherin",

The Slytherins cried out in outrage as the Gryffindor head of house dished out her punishments, "No arguments, I don't want this to happen again, understood!",

Everyone nodded their heads as the two sides parted away from each other,

"I'm sorry Potter, but I can't let you go unpunished. I'll make sure it's an easy detention tonight", McGonagall said as she pulled Harry aside,

"Just so long as it isn't in the forbidden forest with Hagrid" Harry chuckled,

McGonagall graced Harry with a rare smile as she shook her head and wished them all goodbye,

"Alright you lot, I think we'll practice tomorrow after all that's happened today. I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning", Oliver called out as the team started to go their separate ways,

Harry looked around for his sister, finding her sitting on the edge of the courtyard wall by herself.

"You alright Rosey?" Harry asked as he sat down next to her and pulled his arm around her,

Rose shook her head as she buried her face in her brother's neck, "Mum died for us, and people are going around and saying things like that about her…Its horrible",

Harry nodded his head as he brushed his sister's hair with his hand, "You're right, it is, but guess what?"

Rose looked up at her brother, "What?",

"I'll hit anyone who says anything about you, dad, and especially mum, because no one gets away with hurting a Potter",

Rose smiled up at her brother as she cleared her tears away, "I love you Harry",

"Love you too sis, go on, go have fun with your friends, I'm going to get as much freedom in as I can before my detention tonight",

Harry later found out that his detention would be much worse than the Forbidden Forest by far. McGonagall told him at dinner that he was to report to Professor Lockhart, who he would be serving detention with. Harry let his head fall to the table as his friends broke out into laughter, all aside from Hermione who had chided him for his actions once again, telling him he shouldn't let Malfoy get to him. That only rewarded her with a glare from the two Potters.

Saying goodbye to his friends, Harry made his way to the defence classrooms where Lockhart would be waiting for him. Upon entering, the classroom, he was greeted with a toothy smile from the infuriatingly vain professor,

"Ah! Harry! I heard about your little fight in the courtyard today, must say I'm awfully sorry, it's obviously my fault", Lockhart told him,

Harry stuck an eyebrow up as he looked at the man, "Uh, how is it your fault Professor?",

"Well I gave you that little taste of fame back in Diagon Alley, you're obviously trying make a name for yourself, you're just going about it the wrong way that's all!",

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing and rolled his eyes as he took a seat in front of the Professor, "You're right Professor, it's definitely all your fault, 100 percent. I mean, it's not like being the boy-who-lived matters at all", Harry said sarcastically,

Lockhart either didn't notice or didn't care about Harry's answer as he shot straight into his next line, "That's why tonight I'm going to be getting you to read and sign all of my fan mail and write replies to them",

Reaching down beside his desk, Lockhart pulled up a large stack of letters and placed them down on the desk with a thump. Harry audibly sighed as he looked at the pile, knowing he wouldn't be done for a while, and hoped that whatever Malfoy was doing was worse.

Throughout the night, Lockhart chatted on about his many 'endeavours' across the globe, how he saved villages and towns from various threats and menaces. Harry zoned out about 10 minutes in, and let his reflexes take over as he wrote small little thank you letters to the various witches and occasional wizard that wrote in. However, towards the late end of the night, Harry's ears began to pick up something that most definitely wasn't Lockhart's prattling voice.

" _Kill…Kill…Must Kill…Hunt…Slither…Kill…Seek…Kill…Kill…Kill"_

Harry looked up at the Professor, "I'm sorry what did you say?",

Lockhart looked at Harry, "I was just saying how I seduced a Russian Princess who turned out to be a warlock using Polyjuice potion",

Harry shook his head, "Before that",

"Oh…um…I think I was telling you about the time I lived with the last remnants of the Inca's in Peru",

Harry rolled his eyes, "Did you…hear a sort of soft voice, whispering before?",

Lockhart looked at Harry with his stupid shit eating grin on his face, "Harry, what on earth are you on about", looking down at his desk and the small clock that was on it, he made a sort of fake startled noise, "My! Is that the time already! It looks like your time is up Mr Potter, you're free to go",

Harry thanked his lucky stars as he got up and stretched before he made a beeline for the door, "See you Monday professor",

"Don't let the fame get to your head Harry!" Lockhart called out one last time,

Harry ignored the Professor as he dashed out of the classroom and headed straight to Gryffindor tower. Upon entering, he spotted his sister snoozing alone on one of the couches by the fireplace. Making his way over, Harry brushed his sister's hair as he sat down next to her. Rose sprung up at the touch and looked around until her eyes fell on Harry,

"Oh, it's only you",

Harry snorted, "Who else were you expecting,

"No one tosser, I was waiting for you, how'd it go?"

"It was boring as all hell", Harry snorted,

Rose rolled her eyes as she sat her legs up on the longue and drew them up to her chest, "Why does that not surprise me in the least",

"But…at the end, something really freaky happened",

Rose cocked an eyebrow, "Freaky?"

Harry looked over at his sister and gave a nod, "I heard a voice…saying Kill and hunt and seek and all sorts of things",

"Oh-kay…that is freaky",

Harry nodded his head, "And when I told Lockhart, he said he didn't hear anything at all",

Rose frowned as she looked at her brother, "What do you think it was?",

"I don't know, but if it's only me hearing it…maybe I've gone insane?", Harry put on a look of mock terror,

Rose snorted as she shoved her brother, "Or it could just be that you're tired, who knows. If it's really disturbing you, go talk to Dumbledore",

Harry shook his head, "I reckon you're right, I think I'm just tired, do you know how many letters I answered tonight?",

Rose shook her head, "How many?",

"Bloody…81 all up, my hand is going to be permanently stuck in a claw shape", Harry emphasised as he stuck his hand up in the shape of a claw,

Rose laughed, "Oh no, you'll never be able to play seeker again, what ever shall you do",

"I don't know, but at the moment, all I know is that you and I need to get some sleep",

Rose nodded and as If to emphasise the point, a large yawn escaped her mouth, "Come on then, time for bed",

Harry helped his sister up and walked her over to the stairwells, only to stop when he noticed Rose was following him, "Uh, wrong staircase Rosey",

Rose looked up from her feet and at the boy's stairwell before looking over at the girls, "Oh…right. Sorry I forgot we weren't at home",

Harry gave his sister a sad smile as he wrapped her up in a hug, "You'll get used to it, you've been doing so well recently",

Rose sniffed a bit as she dug her head into Harry's chest, "I know, I just miss you that's all, I'm not really use to sleeping on my own still",

"I know what you mean, but it'll get easier, I promise",

Rose nodded her head as she wrapped her own arms around her brother and wished him a goodnight, sticking her head up to receive a kiss from her brother on her brow before she broke away and headed up to her dorm room. As she entered her dorm, she spotted Ginny over by her desk, a candle still lit and her face laying on top of her dairy.

Making her way over, Rose gently shook her friends' shoulder, "Ginny? You alright?",

Ginny jumped up with a start as her eyes darted around the room before they settled on Rose, "Rose! Sorry, you scared me. Guess I must have drifted off while I was writing",

Rose nodded her head, but noticed that there was nothing written in her dairy. She let it be as she helped her friend up and over to her bed, "Next time, fall asleep in your bed and not on your desk you duffer",

Ginny waved her hand, "yeah yeah I know. Thanks Rose, see you in the morning",

Rose nodded her head before she jumped into her own bed and let sleep take over her, drifting off to Never never Land.

 **OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP**

The weeks dragged on, and before long Halloween was just around the corner. Harry had been cornered one day by Sir Nicholas who had asked Harry and his friends to attend his death day party, where he was petitioning the Headless Hunt to allow him to join. Harry wanted to accept, however being as it was his sisters first Halloween at Hogwarts, he politely declined, much to Sir Nicholas's disappointment. Harry and Rose also had another reason to be together on Halloween. As they found out from Sirius and their grandparents, the night that Voldemort had attacked the Potters, ending the lives of Lily and James, was Halloween night. As such, they wished to spend the night together at least, for the first time remembering their parents as a family.

Sirius, Remus and their grandparents had sent them letters on the morning of Halloween, reminding them that no matter what happened all those years ago, they were still allowed to enjoy themselves and have fun, and told them to not let Voldemort win, instead enjoy the night with their friends and remember that these small moments are what their Mum and Dad protected and gave their children with their lives.

It was on the way to class that Harry pulled his sister aside as their friends continued on, "Remember, Mum and Dad didn't die for us to mope around and be depressed, they would want us to be happy alright, just remember that",

Rose nodded her head as she gave her brother a hug, "I know, and don't you forget either. I know how broody you can get when you're down",

Harry chuckled as he ruffled his sister's hair, "That's why I've got you silly",

The two siblings carried on through the day, remembering what they had each said to each other, and trying their very best to not let the significance of the day get to them. They did rather well, and it wasn't until the feast that night that everything came crumbling down for them.

It started off as it did last year, with Dumbledore telling everyone to tuck in, before they all piled food onto their plates. Harry and Rose chatted amongst their friends as they enjoyed themselves throughout the night.

"How are you doing?"

Harry looked to his right to see where the voice had come from. Ginny had scooted over to be closer to him and was looking at Harry with her big brown chocolate eyes,

"Not bad I suppose. I mean, after all these years of not knowing, it kinda doesn't feel like this was the night they died.",

Ginny gave Harry a look, "What do you mean?",

Harry chuckled a little, "I mean, Rose and I mourn Mum and Dad every day, and that probably won't change. But we keep on living, and we both remember that our parents wanted us to live…so we do",

Ginny nodded her head as she reached under the table and gave Harry's hand a squeeze, "When'd you get so wise huh",

Harry smiled as he returned the squeeze, "Rose and I had to grow up, we didn't get a childhood with Vernon around",

"I wish you could of…I wish even more that you had come to Ottery St Catchpole even sooner then you did, we could have grown up together",

Harry chuckled, "That is true, maybe Sirius could've been freed earlier, who knows. All I know right now that I'm happy where I am",

Ginny was about to reply when the sound of a knife tinkering on a glass drew their attention to the head table. Dumbledore once again was standing and looking out towards the student body.

"Tomorrow, eleven years ago, I stood at this very table, overlooking a group of students that are now out in the world, making a name for themselves and enjoying their lives, creating families, adventuring, seeing children grow and walk,

"Those students were told that the previous night…this night…Halloween night, that they could have those lives that they wished, because the greatest threat to their freedom, our freedom, was vanquished. Eleven years ago, our futures were given to us, our chance to live and to love were defended, but not without a cost",

Harry and Rose looked at each other, suddenly understanding where this was going. Rose sort out her brother's hand and gripped on tight,

"Eleven years ago, two students who sat where you sit now, gave their lives to give us a chance at peace. Lily and James Potter died to protect their two children, who sit here amongst you today, Harry, and Madeline-Rose. But in protecting their children, they protected our world from the deadliest threat our society has ever faced. The Potter family was ripped apart, two children, both less the two years old, orphaned overnight.

"It was because of the sacrifice Lily Potter made for her children, that allowed our world to continue living, it was because of her sacrifice, that her son Harry managed to defeat, and survive, the evillest of wizards our society has known. Tonight, on the eleventh anniversary, both Potter children sit here, a testament to what their parents sacrificed, and a symbol to our society of what love is truly capable of. I implore you now, raise your glasses, to James, and Lily Potter"

A wide range of mummering's sounded across the hall, as students and staff alike stood up to toast the Potters. Voices toasted the Potters from each table, but none were as loud as those on the Gryffindor table, who roared out their approval to two of their own, and to the parents of two of their most beloved housemates. Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's added their own toasts, however the noise from the Slytherin table was unsurprisingly quiet.

All day, Harry and Rose had done their best to keep themselves together, but that speech by Dumbledore, whilst touching, had been the final straw that broke the camel's back. Both at once, Harry and Rose left the Gryffindor table with lightning speed, leaving the great hall behind, not stopping until the sounds of the hall were nothing but a distant murmur. Then, and only then, did Rose and Harry allow their defences down. They gripped onto each other as tight as possible, allowing tears to flow from their eyes as both young Potters sobbed into each-other's arms. Harry had tucked Rose's head underneath his chin, as Rose buried her face into his chest as close as possible. They stayed there, for a good few minutes before they finally calmed down enough to speak,

"So, seems like we failed to keep positive hey", Harry said with a soft laugh,

Rose let out her own soft laugh as she sniffed, "I don't think we can count that back there as our fault",

Harry nodded in agreement as he laid a kiss to his sisters' brow, "Come on, let's just head back to Gryffindor tower",

Rose mumbled her agreement as she allowed her brother to steer here through the hallways of Hogwarts. Their trip back to the tower was interrupted however as they came across a chilling sight. Before them was writing on the wall which could only be written in blood. _'Enemies of the heir beware'_ was all it said. To make matters worse, Mrs Norris, Filch's cat, appeared to be dead, hanging by her tail around a torch.

"What on earth?" Harry said in surprise,

Rose had disentangled herself from her brother in order to get a closer look, examining the cat, "She's as stiff as a brick, Merlin what happened to her",

Harry cocked an eyebrow, "Merlin?"

"What? Ginny told me that's what wizards say instead of 'my god', thought it appropriate since we are magical folk", Rose said,

Harry let out a chuckle as he joined his sister in observing the cat. They only noticed the distant patter of footsteps a moment later as Harry's friends caught up with them.

"Are you two alright...what the..." Hermione started to ask as she joined her friends,

"Merlin, what happened here?" Ron asked as he looked at Mrs Norris,

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he made his way over to his friends, "No idea, Rose and I were heading back to the tower when we stumbled across this… _Enemies of the heir beware,_ what the hell is that supposed to mean",

"I think it's an heir of one of the founders" Alec said, "it's the only possible answer, unless old Voldy set up a succession chain",

Harry and Rose shivered at the thought, and considering what night it was, it was very much a possibility.

They were shaken from their thoughts when the sounds of hundreds of students making their way to bed sounded from up the hall. Before the group of friends could scatter, the majority of the student's body had made its way towards them, blocking their escape. Gasps and cries went out as the students found the young Gryffindor's standing by the scene. From behind the crowd, the sound of Filch's voice resonated throughout the corridor,

"Make way! Make Way!",

Harry visibly paled as he heard the caretakers voice. Upon reaching the scene, the old man made a gasp as he spotted his beloved cat,

"My cat! MY CAT! WHICH ONE OF YOU MONGRELS DID IT THEN!" Filch carried on as he stormed over to the group,

His hands went for Harry's collar, lifting him up by the scruff against the wall, "IT WAS YOU WASN'T IT BOY!"

Harry shook his head violently, "No it wasn't, we just found her like this, I promise you!",

"LIAR!"

"Argus!",

Harry was never more relieved to hear the sound of Dumbledore's voice then at that moment. As If he was burned by fire, Filch's hands retracted from Harry's collar, dropping him down on the ground with a thump. His friends and sister raced over to him to check that he was alright,

"Argus, what is the meaning of this!" McGonagall had piped up,

"This one here murdered my cat he did!" Filch said, pointing to Harry,

McGonagall, Snape and Dumbledore all stepped forward at this point to examine the scene, "Your cat is not dead Argus, merely petrified", Dumbledore said calmly,

"He did it! I know he did!" Filch continued to rave,

"I severely doubt that Mr Potter could petrify your cat Filch" Snape said coolly as he eyed Harry,

Harry gave him a brief smile as he nodded at the professor, earning him a nod back,

"I would remind you also Argus of what night this is" Dumbledore said with an icy note, "And should you handle any other student in that matter again, you shall face punishment, do I make myself clear?",

Filch was still raging on as he nodded his head, "I want to see justice here! I want punishments!",

"Argus, I would suggest you go back to your quarters and try and rest", McGonagall offered as she stepped between him and her Gryffindor's,

Reluctantly, Filch complied and headed off down the halls to his own quarters. Meanwhile, the entire school was now at the crossroads where the scene was. Malfoy and his cronies had shoved their way forward, commenting in their own unique way,

"Enemies of the heir beware?" Malfoy sneered, "You're next mudbloods!",

"MR MALFOY! 20 points from Slytherin!", Snape called back angerly before McGonagall could say a word.

Harry smirked as he saw the young snake seep back into the crowd of people, trying to avoid attention as his head of house eyed him off. Eventually, Dumbledore dismissed everyone back to their own dorms,

"I would like everyone to head back to their dorm rooms, this matter will be investigated I can assure you of that!", Dumbledore commanded,

As Harry and his friends made to leave to, Dumbledore called out for Harry and Rose, "Harry, Rose, could you stay behind for a while, I'll make sure to escort you to Gryffindor tower",

Harry and Rose nodded as they wished their friends goodbye before standing in front of the headmaster,

"Harry, Rose, is there anything you need to tell me about tonight, about this incident here, anything you noted?" Dumbledore asked kindly,

Harry and Rose shook their heads for a moment before Harry stopped and opened his mouth, "Actually, there is one thing",

Dumbledore beckoned him on, "The other night when I was serving detention with Professor Lockhart, I heard this voice call out, saying all sorts of things like 'kill' and 'hunt'",

"And have you heard this voice again?" Dumbledore asked,

Harry shook his head, "I haven't, or at least I don't think I have. I thought I might had heard something tonight but I was a little distracted I must admit",

Dumbledore smiled sheepishly, "Yes, I would imagine that would be of my doing, no?",

Harry and Rose nodded their heads, "I must apologize my dears that I did not except such a reaction from the both of you" Dumbledore said, placing a hand each of one of their shoulders, "I thought merely to honour you and your parents for the first time, as now both of you are here",

"The thought was very kind professor, and we did appreciate it, but it was kind of the final straw, Harry and I have been having a hard time holding it in, and that speech finally broke us I suppose" Rose explained,

Dumbledore nodded his head, "I understand, I hope I did not cause too much distress",

"Not at all professor, in truth it was very touching and I'm very thankful you did it" Harry added,

Dumbledore smiled at the both of them, "I think it best we get you back to the tower now, I'm sure you both have a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and I'm sure the gossip machine will be working overtime tonight",

Harry and Rose chuckled as they followed their headmaster back to their dorm rooms. All prior thoughts of their parent's death were forgotten as they headed off to bed that night. Instead, their thoughts were both on what had occurred to make Mrs Norris petrified, and what the writing on the wall actually meant.


	17. The Rogue Bludger

**Howdy folks, there's an author note in Chapter one explaining what's going on. Cheers!**

 **The rogue bludger, the first casualty, the duelling club: Chapter 17**

As Dumbledore had correctly guessed, the gossip around the castle had intensified as students and staff alike discussed what had occurred on Halloween night. It came as a shock that the resident castle cat had ended up petrified from an unknown source. The only evidence at the scene had been the writing on the wall, and a puddle of water just below where Mrs Norris had been hung up. There was some talk amongst the houses that it was the Potters who were responsible, however whispers of such accusations in Gryffindor tower were quickly put down by those who knew the Potters best. Percy had made it his responsibility as Prefect to squash any gossip towards the Potters, going as far as deducting points from Gryffindor's who argued with his demands. Soon, only the other three houses would discuss gossip related to the Potters, although it still made its way back to the Gryffindor common room.

Rose was distraught more than Harry, as that was her nature, being the sensitive person she was. But that didn't mean that she didn't dish out her own harsh retorts when the Slytherins made uncouth remarks about her or her brother. Harry in the meantime tended to brood over the gossip, annoyed that people who had seemed to be friendly towards him last year, like Susan Bones or Ernie Macmillan, were now avoiding him like the plague. He tried to put all thought of the manner behind him, however he struggled as he received a vast more amount of attention this year than he did his first year. He found himself snapping at his friends more than once, and unfortunately his sister was not safe from his foul moods. The first and only time he snapped at her, Rose gave her brother a verbal beating before storming off to her dorm rooms. It had seemed to have done the trick, as Harry made a rather miraculous recovery in mood the next morning.

The month dragged on, and soon enough, by mid-November, the gossip around the Potters had died down to low mummering's from the Slytherin's. Harry's mood further improved as the first Quidditch game of the season came approaching. Of course, with the date of the match further approaching, Oliver subjected his team to even more training then thought necessary. Harry had fortunately been spared form any serious injuries, though a week before the game, he had come down with the flu from the previous night of training in the rain.

"Oh Harry, what are we going to do with you", Rose had told him as she sat by his bed, applying a wet cloth to his forehead.

It turned out that the girls had access to the boy's dorms, as Rose had discovered one day when she followed Harry up one night,

"Ugh…I feel like I've been hit over the head by a rock", Harry moaned as he winced in pain from is aching bones,

Rose just tutted as she brushed her fingers along his fringe, "I still think you should go see Madam Pomfrey ",

Harry waved off her suggestion, "I'll be alright by tonight, I just need some sleep",

"You're lucky it's the weekend, otherwise you'd have to catch up on classwork too", Rose told him,

Harry mumbled out a reply as he shut his eyes, "You just get some sleep alright Harry, I'll let everyone know you're not going to be down today", Rose said as she stood to leave,

"Thanks, Rosey, you go have fun alright?"

Rose smiled down at her brother as she leaned down to kiss his brow as he would normally, "I will, you just get some sleep",

Fortunately, Harry did recover later on that night, but Rose still fussed over him as he sat with his friends at the Gryffindor table at dinner that night,

"Rose, honestly I feel fine, I just need some food in me" Harry had said, swatting his sisters' hand away from his head,

Rose gave him a frown as she turned back to her own food, "Fine, but don't blame me when you come down with flu again",

Harry rolled his eyes as he looked around at his friends, noticing the Ginny was absent, "Hey Rose, where's Ginny?",

"She didn't sleep very well last night, we let her stay up in her room to have a snooze, we promised we'd bring her back some food", Rose explained,

"She seemed quite distraught this morning, she asked if we had noticed her sleep walking", Luna added in her airy voice,

Ron snorted, "Ginny sleep walking, that's new, sure she isn't just sneaking off",

"Honestly Ron, your sister obviously isn't well and you're making jabs at her" Hermione scolded him as she elbowed his side,

Ron let out a yelp at the sharp pain, casting a glare back at Hermione, about to retort when Harry interrupted, "I've noticed it too, she seems slightly paranoid, and always brushes it off when we ask about it",

"I tried to talk to her the other day about it but she just changed topics entirely", Rose added,

"We should keep an eye on her then shouldn't we, make sure she isn't off doing something unsafe", Hermione added,

Before the group could continue any further however, Hagrid came walking into the great hall with a frown plastered on his face,

"What's got you down Hagrid?", Alec called out,

Hagrid stopped and turned to look at the group of friends, "Somethin' killed all me chicken las' night, caused a right ole' mess, got none of them left now",

"What do you reckon did it?" Ron asked,

Hagrid gave a shrug, "Dunno, woke up this mornin' and found the whole pen layin' on the ground with their necks wrung",

Harry grimaced, "Poor things, you don't think it could be student, do you?",

The table shot him a look as Hagrid replied, "Dunno, it's possible I guess, could be someone from the village too course. 'bout to tell Dumbledore 'bout it now so sees what he says",

Harry and his friends nodded as the groundskeeper continued on up to the staff table to talk with Professor Dumbledore.

"That was a bit odd don't you think?" Alec asked the group,

Everybody nodded their heads in agreement, "I could understand if the chickens appeared to be killed by an animal like a fox or cat, but to strangle a chicken…" Hermione said,

"And this whole business with enemies of the heir beware, its mighty spooky", Ron added,

"You would think that after last year we'd have a normal year this time", Harry said solemnly,

Rose petted her brother's hand, "Couldn't leave you to have all the fun years",

Harry only snorted and rolled his eyes as he turned his attention back towards his dinner.

Thoughts and discussions on what might have happened to Hagrid's flock of chickens continued on during the night, and all the way up to the Gryffindor common room where they found Ginny snoozing on one of the many couches. Rose had roused her and gotten her to eat some food whilst the rest of them sat around her filling her in on what they'd heard from Hagrid. For whatever reason, Ginny certainly didn't want to be part of the conversation, and tried desperately to steer the conversation onto other matters. This of course hadn't gone unnoticed by the two Potters, who confronted her as she tried to make an escape up to her dorm room,

"Ginny, are you feeling alright?" Rose had asked softly, her brother not far behind her,

"What? Oh yeah, fine, fine, I might get an early night that's all", Ginny replied,

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "Are you sure you're alright Gin, you can tell us if you aren't",

"I'm fine Harry, I already said so, just leave it", Ginny snapped back, unusual behaviour for her, especially towards Harry,

"Alright, if anything isn't, you can tell us", Harry tried to reassure her,

Ginny only waved her hand off as she stormed up to her dorm room, "I'll talk to her, see if I can't get what's wrong out of her", Rose told her brother as she followed the young Weasley up the stairs.

When she entered the dorm room, she found Ginny sitting on her bed, her face in her hands. The young Potter approached with as much care as possible as she sat down next to her best friend and placed an arm over her,

"You know, when I first met you, I had no one else but Harry. You were my first friend and someone who I can call my best friend without regret", Rose told Ginny,

Ginny sniffed as she wrapped an arm around her friend, "I've been having these…laps in memory. I don't know what's happening but I'm scared. I don't remember what happened last night…did I kill Hagrid's chickens?",

"I can't say for sure, but I highly doubt that you did," Rose said,

"But how can you be sure, I mean, do you remember me getting up or doing anything last night?" Ginny started to panic.

Rose cut her off before she could continue, "Ginny! If I noticed anything I would tell you and I can tell you now that I haven't noticed anything other than you not sleeping well." Rose took a deep breath as she tightened her hold on her friend, "I don't know if you're sleep walking or something, but what I do know is that you're brushing off your friends and I'm concerned okay?"

Ginny let out a sob as she buried her face into Rose's neck, "I've royally screwed up with Harry, haven't I?"

"Don't be silly, Harry's not about to cast you aside for getting a bit antsy, otherwise we would be at each other's throats," Rose told her friend, "Now come on, let's get you into bed, you've had a rough couple of days,"

Ginny merely nodded her head as she let her friend remove her robes, stripping her down to her undies. Rose laid the sheets around Ginny as she climbed into bed, smoothing them out and tucking her in nice and tight to fend off the cold of the dorm room.

"You just get some sleep now okay Ginny. Luna and I will be up in a bit, we're just going to talk to the guys a bit longer alright?" Rose reassured her,

Ginny nodded and bit her lip slightly, "Can you tell Harry I'm sorry?"

"Of course, you silly billy, not that there's anything to forgive," Rose chuckled. "Just shut your eyes now okay, I want to see you asleep when we come up alright."

Ginny nodded and tucked her head into her pillow. As Rose was leaving, Ginny called out one last time, "Thank you Rose, I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Rose smiled as she closed the door, relieved that she didn't have to force her best friend into telling her what was wrong. Making her way back downstairs, she was greeted by the sight of the group sitting around chatting quite happily, the only exception being Harry, who was sitting on an armchair with a brooding look on his face. When he saw his sister however, he jumped up from his chair.

"How is she?" Harry called out,

Rose smiled at her brother, "She's fine, she's just having a bit of trouble mentally at the moment", Rose bit her lip for a moment, "She thinks that she killed Hagrid's chickens",

"What? Why the bloody hell does she think that?" Ron cried out,

"Ronald! Language", Hermione chided,

"Oi, shush you two" Harry interrupted, "Rose, go on",

"Thanks, as I was saying, she thinks she's killed Hagrid's chickens because she's having these laps in memory and having trouble sleeping", Rose told them, "Personally I think she's just struggling being away from home and isn't sleeping well. It would explain her memory lapse if she's too tired to be remembering everything she's done",

"That would be the logical conclusion, have you noticed if she's slept walked?" Hermione asked,

Rose shook her head, "No, she hasn't done anything like that, has she Luna?"

"Ginny does tend to thrash around in bed a bit, but I haven't noticed anything unusual," Luna told them.

"So, what's gotten into her then?" Alec asked,

Rose finally sat down on the arm of her brother's chair, "I don't know, but I do know that we need to keep an eye on her",

"Agreed, now, if you'll excuse me, I think Ron owes me a game of chess", Harry said,

The month continued on as the group of friends continued on with their school work, socialised and kept an eye on Ginny. Said Weasley was rather subdued in her interaction with the 2nd years, especially Harry, who tried to tell her on several occasions that he wasn't mad at her. Luna and Rose had kept an eye on her at night, trying to keep an ear out as they slept, and so far, they either didn't notice anything, or nothing happened, as their nights were peaceful. Ginny seemed to be perking up as well, despite her concerns still lingering. However, as the first Quidditch game of the year arrived, everyone's mood increased. The morning of the game, Harry sat with his team mates and friends as they discussed what could happen in the game. Luna was sporting a very flamboyant set of burgundy robes which she had apparently asked for from her father for such occasions, in order to show 'house pride'.

Soon enough it was time to head down to the pitch in order to start the match. As usual, Oliver did his usual pep talk before the match started, telling everyone to try their hardest no matter what. The twins merely laughed and poked fun at the older boy's expense as they had heard the same speech multiple times. As the team made their way out onto the field, the crowds greeted them with a cheer that went throughout the stadium. The Slytherins were already waiting for them on their side of the pitch, itching to start the match. Madam Hooch made Flint and Oliver shake hands before the match, each captain desperately trying to break the others hand.

With a whistle blow from Hooch, the players kicked off into the air and the start of play began. No one could deny that the Slytherins had the advantage in the game that day, their new Nimbus 2001's were vastly superior to all the other brooms on the field that day. The Gryffindor's may have had the experience and skill, but they lacked the sheer broompower. Katie and Alicia had already been taken down by bludgers, and Oliver was down after a bludger hit by Flint knocked him out cold. It was down to the twins, Angelina and Harry to win the game. Harry observed the game from a distance as his team was decimated by the snakes, and Malfoy circling him, taunting him didn't help things either. However, he kept concentrated on the game, keeping an eye out for the snitch.

Harry would have most likely found the snitch much sooner had it not been for one particular bludger that would not leave him alone. It had continued to follow him after it knocked Oliver out of the match. Harry had to continually fly around in order to avoid the bludger, who fortunately also hit Malfoy as well, making him shut his trap for a few moments. Back in the stands, Harry's sister and friends had been observing the game, Rose watching with her muggle binoculars. At some stage, Hagrid had come along to watch with them.

"Howdy you lot, how's tha game goin'",

"We're getting absolutely smashed, and Harry's got this bludger chasing him", Alec answered,

Rose passed Hagrid her binoculars, "Here, have a look for yourself Hagrid",

"Ta Rosey. Blimey! Tha' bludgers been tampered with tha' has!", Hagrid exclaimed,

"Tampered? Who would tamper with the bludger though?" Hermione asked,

Ron let out a snort, "Probably those bloody snakes, couldn't risk Harry catching the snitch and winning it for us",

Hermione gave Ron a glare, and was about to retort when Ginny called out, "LOOK! Harry's onto the snitch! GO HARRY GO!",

Harry had spotted the snitch hovering over Malfoys head as he prattled on and on, allowing Harry to seize the opportunity. Draco had been temporarily dumbfounded as Harry sped straight towards him, forcing him to move out of the way. Unfortunately for Harry, the rogue bludger had continued to chase him as Harry made out like a bat out of hell, racing for the snitch. The golden orb led the young seeker down into the superstructure of the stadium, the bludger not far behind, smashing into limbs and supports of the seating above. Malfoy had also caught up at some point, racing forwards to be neck and neck with Harry.

"Give it up Potter! You'll never match me!",

"In your dreams Malfoy!",

Unfortunately, Malfoys broom was just that little bit faster, allowing the snake to pull ahead in the straight stretches of the underworks. Harry however had skill and experience on his side, allowing him to duck and weave gracefully in between the supports, giving him the advantage in the denser parts of the stadium. Eventually the snitch pulled out and raced out into the open once more, causing the two seekers and the bludger to head back out onto the open pitch. Before Harry could get out into the open however, the rogue bludger smacked into his arm with such force that a horrible snap could be heard. Harry gritted his teeth in pain as he pressed on, determined to get the snitch.

Flying low to the ground, Harry had the advantage over Malfoy with his superior skill in being as aero dynamic as possible. Lying flat onto his stomach, Harry pushed on low and fast along the ground, too low for Malfoy to possible keep up or manoeuvre without problems, which was exactly what happened as Draco smacked straight into the ground with a thud as his broom plunged itself into the ground. Harry was now alone in the hunt for the snitch, and allowed himself to reach out for it, however with one arm out of commission Harry had to do the unthinkable. Using his uninjured hand, Harry pushed himself up onto his broom as if he was riding a muggle surfboard. Balancing with his legs, Harry made full sail for the snitch, reaching out with his spare hand.

Finally, Harry caught the golden orb with his hand, but not before his own broom came into contact with the ground, causing him to front-flip through the air and land with a thud on the ground. Harry clutched the snitch in his hand, and allowed himself a small moment of rest for catching the little sucker.

"Harry! Harry! Are you alright!", Came the voice of his sister as she pushed her way through the celebrating crowd,

Harry let out a grimace as he peered over to his broken arm, "I've seen better days."

"Out the way! Out the Way! Teacher coming through", the all too familiar sound of Lockhart came resonating through,

"Oh, Merlin no please not him", Harry muttered,

Kneeling down next to Harry, Lockhart shoved Rose away as he took out his wand and looked over Harry's arm, "Ah, looks as though you've broken your arm there Harry, that's alright, easy fix!",

"No please…not you…", Harry tried to protest,

Lockhart let out a chuckle to the Gryffindor's now surrounding him, "Poor boy doesn't know what he's on about",

"Professor, we need to take him to the hospital wing!", Ginny tried to argue,

"Nonsense, I can fix him up right here, now just lay back now Harry", Lockhart tried to reassure,

Harry looked around as he tried to struggle out of Lockhart's grip. The twins were busy wrestling the bludger back into the box, whilst Oliver was being tended to by Angelina. Katie and Alicia were off on the sidelines, cradling their heads as they accepted congratulations. All of a sudden, he felt a horrible sensation course through his arm, before he felt nothing at all. Looking over, he almost fainted as he viewed his arm go floppy in the grip of Lockhart,

"Ah…yes well that can happen sometimes. The good thing is, is that the bones are no longer broken!" Lockhart said cheerily,

"Broken! He's got no bones left you bloody idiot!" Alec called out,

The Professor made a quick getaway as Harry's friends lifted him up and rushed him as quickly as possible to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was in full swing by the time they got there with Harry, treating Malfoy and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Oh, be quiet Mr Malfoy, your bones aren't even broken", Madam Pomfrey snapped at the Slytherin as he did his best to wither away on his bed, "You should have brought him straight to me, broken bones I can mend easily but growing them back is another thing altogether", She told Harry as she made her way to his bedside with a steaming goblet of potion,

"You can grow them back, though right?", Harry asked with a whine,

"Of course, but it's going to be a very painful night for you Mr Potter, you're going to have to drink some Skellegrow", Madam Pomfrey told him, "And if you've got a problem with that you can take it up with your ancestors, after all they invented it",

"Huh, I never knew that, hear that Harry, your ancestors are condemning you from the grave", Ron tried to joke, earning him a glare from his best mate,

Hermione, Ginny and Rose had stationed themselves as close as possible to Harry's bed whilst Madam Pomfrey did her work, "You're going to be alright Harry, I know you will be", Hermione tried to reassure him,

"Oh yes you'll be alright Mr Potter, but this is going to be very painful, now hurry up and down this goblet", Madam Pomfrey insisted,

Holding his nose, Harry tried to chug the goblet of potion down, only spluttering mildly as the foul taste hit the back of his throat, "Bloody hell! That stuff is foul!",

"What were you expecting, pumpkin juice? Now down the hatch with the rest of it Potter", Madam Pomfrey said,

Almost at once, Harry could feel sensations going down his arm where his bones use to be, like little pins and needles sticking into him all along his arm.

Rose stood ever vigilant over her brother, her eyes full of concern for her brother, "How do you feel Harry?".

"It's weird, it's like pins and needles more than anything",

"It'll get much worse by tonight so best be prepared Mr Potter", Madam Pomfrey added, "Now I must insist that the patient get some rest, you can visit him tomorrow, off you go now!"

Rose made to argue with the healer until Harry grabbed her hand with his still functioning one, "Go on, I'll be alright, don't go worrying over me alright",

Rose just nodded her head as she gave her brother a smile, "Alright then, I'll come see you after dinner if I can, otherwise I'll see you tomorrow".

With a squeeze of her hand, Harry said goodbye to his sister and friends as they all left to go off to do their own thing whilst Harry stayed and rested up. Not very long after Harry's friends left, Malfoy got released from the hospital wing, whinging about how his father would hear about his lack of attention and other rubbish. Harry couldn't help but smirk at how even though his arm was broken, and he was being chased by a rogue bludger, he still managed to outsmart Malfoy. By the time dinner time came around, his arm was starting to cause him some significant pain, as the bones now reached the stage they would have been when he was only a small boy. Rose had come back with Luna just after dinner to keep him company, informing him that Ginny had work to catch up on and the 2nd years were being interviewed by McGonagall about today's incident,

"How come they're being interviewed?", Harry asked his sister,

"McGonagall wants to know what exactly caused you to lose your bones, when she found out Lockhart had performed the charm she went off her rail", Rose giggled, "I don't think those two are particularly fond of each other",

Luna hummed in agreement, "I haven't seen any of the professors take kindly to him, I think it's because he's infested with Nargles",

Harry and Rose gave each other a look, "So, how are you feeling anyway?", Rose asked her brother,

"It's…alright, it's not too painful, just uncomfortable", Harry replied,

Rose squeezed her Brothers healthy hand, "You'll be alright, do you know when you can get out of here?".

"Madam Pomfrey said I could leave tomorrow at lunchtime, if everything goes well",

Luna was watching something off in the distance when she spoke up, "You're rather lucky that you weren't killed Harry", She looked down at him, "I doubt your sister or friends would appreciate you doing that",

"Ah…yeah. I'm rather happy that I'm alive too", Harry gulped, "But I mean, Dumbledore wouldn't let me get seriously hurt, it's only because of Lockhart that I'm in here",

Rose nodded her head, "You're still lucky Harry, McGonagall was telling us today how the bludger was charmed with some impressive magic", Rose gulped, "If you hadn't caught the snitch and enacted the end of play magic, the bludger would have kept coming after you without a doubt",

Harry let out an unsteady breath, "Well, good thing I'm the best seeker to have ever existed",

"Obviously you haven't lost your ego then", Rose snorted,

"Oh well, you know me, always drawing attention to myself", Harry joked sarcastically, "So, what'd I miss today?",

"Nothing much besides what I've told you", Rose told her brother, "Ginny's acting a bit odd still but I don't really know what to make of that",

"I've noticed that too Rose, perhaps we should disinfect her bed of all the wacksprouts", Luna added casually,

Rose raised her eyebrow, "I mean, if you think it'll help",

"I'll get to it right now, then shall I?" Luna asked,

"Sure, go on and get started, I won't be long here", Rose told her friend,

Jumping up from her spot, Luna hurried out of the hospital wing and back up to Gryffindor tower to begin her work on ridding Ginny of her wacksprout infestation,

"Well, now that Luna's gone, what do you really think is wrong with Ginny?", Harry asked,

Rose gave a shrug of her shoulders as she twiddled with a lock of her hair, "I don't know honestly, and any time I try to find out she just brushed me off like there's nothing wrong", Rose chewed on her lip for a moment, "I honestly think there is something wrong with her but I'm not sure what to do, I mean, what if I'm getting the wrong idea and she gets upset at me?",

Harry tenderly squeezed his sisters hand, "Rose, we'll sort this out together alright, for now let's just keep an eye on her. Besides, I think we have bigger problems coming up, like whose out to get me this year and who is going around writing messages on the wall",

"I agree, but still, she's my best friend, and I don't want anything happening to her", Rose sighed,

Harry nodded, "I know, and she means a lot to me to, don't you worry. Ginny will be okay, and if she needs help she can come to us, she knows that",

Rose nodded her head and laid herself carefully next to Harry, "I worry about you, not even half way into the year and you're already hurt",

"Tell me about it, at least this time I'll only be in for the night", Harry chuckled,

"Just don't make a habit of it alright?",

"Don't worry, I don't intend to. Hey, it's almost curfew time, best you head back to the tower now, don't want to keep Luna waiting now do you", Harry chuckled as he ruffled his sister's hair.

"Yeah, you're right, anyway, I'll see you in the morning, try to get some rest Harry",

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yes mum, go on now, get outta here",

Rose waved her brother off as she disappeared into the hallway and back into the heart of the school, leaving Harry on his lonesome once more, as he shut his eyes in order to try and get some sleep. Only about half an hour into his restless sleep, Harry was brought out of his slumber by the sound of scuttling feet making their way across the floor. Opening his eyes and reaching for his glasses, Harry let out a yelp when a small figure jumped up onto his bed.

"Oh, Harry Potter Sir, you didn't listen to Dobby's warnings Sir",

Harry had to blink a few times until he recalled who was sitting in front of him, "Dobby! What are you doing here?",

"Dobby has come to warn Harry Potter that he must go home!",

Harry tried to sit himself up but the pain from his arm quickly put to rest that idea, "Dobby, I already told you, I'm not going home",

"But Harry Potter Sir! You must go home, or else a bludger is the least of youse worries",

Harry rolled his eyes, "And last year facing down Voldemort wasn't bad enough?",

Dobby yelped and jumped a fraction, "Harry Potter Sir! If youse do not listen to Dobby, then Dobby is having's to do much worse than spell a bludger",

As if realising what he had just said, Dobby clamped his hands over his mouth,

"You mean you tried to kill me Dobby!", Harry cried in outrage,

"Not kill Sir, only maim! Much better then Harry Potter being killed!",

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, "Dobby, as much as I appreciate the concern, I would rather you try and not protect me, understood?",

Before Harry could get an answer, the sounds of a party making their way down the hallway came echoing down into the hospital wing. With a click of his fingers, Dobby disappeared. Quickly falling back down onto his pillow, Harry ripped his glasses off and placed them on the side table and feigned sleep as the party came rushing into the room.

"Albus, is he…is he dead?", the voice of McGonagall cried,

"No Minerva, merely petrified, much like Mrs Norris", Dumbledore reassured,

"But Albus, does this mean that the chamber truly has opened?", Madam Pomfrey asked,

Harry cracked his eyes open a smidge in order to see what was happening, wishing he hadn't taken his glasses off now. From what he could see though, was three figures standing over the body of a student in black robes. Harry however did notice a muggle camera which could only mean that the boy was none other than Colin Creevy.

Opening the muggle camera up, Dumbledore was met by a bright flash and a plum of smoke as the muggle film went up in flames, disintegrating.

"Albus, what does this mean?" McGonagall cried in worry,

"It means that Poppy is right, the chamber has opened, and our students are in grave danger".

OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP OAPAAP

Talk around the school that Colin had been petrified spread like wildfire, and everywhere Harry turned someone was talking to their friend about the poor first year Gryffindor. Harry had naturally told his friends what had happened, visibly shaking most of them, except for Hermione who immediately went into think tank mode. Ginny by far had the worst reaction to it, hiding up in her dorm room and refusing to come down even for dinner. Rose and Luna had managed to grab her some food so that she could eat something, but the youngest Weasley wasn't in any kind of state to eat by all regards.

As for what the staff were doing about the situation, Dumbledore had enforced a policy where no student should be alone by themselves, having to stick in pairs or groups or by the side of a teacher. Another action taken by the staff was the forming of a duelling club for all students, run by none other then their very own DADA professor. It was on the following Wednesday that the first class would be held, and talk was already spreading about how fun or exciting it would be. Harry, Rose and their friends expressed their doubts, all except Hermione who continued to defend Lockhart as being competent.

"I'm telling you Hermione, Lockhart is going to get himself killed taking on Snape. He can hardly face a group of Cornish pixies let alone the grease king himself", Ron tried to persuade Hermione as the group of friends made their way down the stairs to the great hall,

"Honestly Ron, Lockhart is far more competent then you make him out to be, I mean, why would he write about all his accomplishments if he didn't actually perform them?",

Rose clicked her tongue, "Sounds rather fishy to me to be honest, maybe he's a liar",

"Rose! You can't just say that about a teacher!", Hermione gasped,

"Can and did", Rose said nonchalantly,

Making their way into the Great Hall, the group of friends found themselves amongst the majority of the school, which was now crowding around a central table that ran the length of the hall. Atop it, a runner and table cloth of deep purple ran covered it, whilst the enchanted roof of the hall displayed the starry night outside.

Huddling into the crowd of their peers, the group began to survey the room as the rest of the school pooled in. Eventually, all eyes turned towards the two professors who decided to enter at the same time. Lockhart's fancy duelling outfit, including a number of medals strapped to his chest, screamed out pompousness, whilst Snape donned his traditional batlike black cloak that flurried behind him as he swept into the room. Making their way onto the stage, the two professors greeted each other cordially before Lockhart turned to the room at large,

"Good evening everyone, and welcome to the official Hogwarts Duelling club, where I" Lockhart paused and coughed dramatically, "Professor Lockhart, will be teaching you how to defend yourselves in a wizarding duel",

"Professor Snape has kindly volunteered to be my helped and partner for tonight, and to start off the night, we shall be demonstrating the disarming spell, Expelliarmus", Lockhart continued,

Surveying the room around him, Lockhart continued to sport his cheesy trademark smile as his eyes roamed over the young witches who squealed in delight, "Now, Professor Snape, shall we begin?",

"Cert-ainly professor", Snape sneered as he prepared himself,

"On the count of three then Severus, one, two, three!",

Lockhart barely had a chance to raise his wand before Snape sent a blue hued spell straight towards the DADA professor with a clear cry of Expelliarmus. Lockhart was thrown a good couple of meters as his wand spiralled into the air, landing in the outstretched hand of Snape.

"Yes! Well! Good show Severus, um…why don't we have a couple of students have a go now hey?", Lockhart said as he dusted himself off and retrieved his wand,

"What an excellent idea Professor, any volunteers from…Slytherin?", Snape asked coolly,

A number of hands raised themselves, and Harry couldn't help but notice that Malfoy was the first to shoot his hand up,

"Eager are we Draco, come up here then", Snape said,

Lockhart looked around nervously, looking for someone who could represent him in the student match. Unfortunately for Harry, the professor's eyes landed on him and within a split second, his grin was back.

"Harry! Come on up here, I thought I saw you raise a hand up, you cheeky devil you",

Harry eyed his friends as they gave him a shrug before someone behind him pushed him to the front, "But professor, I didn't volunteer!",

"Nonsense Harry, I saw your hand go up as soon as I called for volunteers", Lockhart said casually,

"But you didn't call for volunteers!",

Before Lockhart could reply, Malfoy shot out an insult from across the table, "Scared are you Potter, don't worry, I knew you wouldn't be able to face me",

Harry growled as he eyed the young Slytherin, "In your dreams Malfoy",

"Excellent! Now boys remember, disarm only! Now, bow to your partner", Lockhart instructed,

Malfoy and Harry bowed towards each other as they both took their wands out and prepared for the duel.

"Now, on the count of three I want you to disarm your opponent, understood? One…Two…",

Before Lockhart had even finished saying two, Malfoy shot out a tickling jinx straight towards Harry, who had no time to duck as the spell hit him straight on, sending him sprawling onto the floor into fits.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart tried to shout,

Harry ignored his Professor as he sent a jelly legs curse straight towards Draco, causing him to buckle as his legs wobbled. When he recovered, he sent a boils curse straight towards Harry, who managed to duck in time before he shot off his own leg locker curse. Harry's aim was dead on as the young Slytherin came tumbling down onto the side of the duelling platform. Before he could get up, a young Pansy Parkinson came running up to Draco and whispered into his ear, causing the two to smirk before Draco got to his feet and prepared himself.

"Serpensortia!" Draco cried out before a fully-grown snake shot out from his wand and onto the floor,

The snake made quick headway over to a stunned Harry, only to stop half way as Lockhart tried to dispose of the snake, "Don't worry Harry, I'll sort this out"

Lockhart's spell only seemed to upset the snake even further as it was launched into the air before coming back down with a thump, hissing angrily at the student in front of him. Harry tried to recall a name, thinking it was something along the lines of Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff. Without thinking, Harry cried out for the snake to stop.

"STOP!",

As if by some miracle, the snake turned its head around and peered at the student, "Why ssssshould I?",

"Because he didn't do anything to hurt you, it was that buffoon there" Harry told the snake, pointing to Lockhart,

Before the snake could reply, Snape shot a curse at the snake, causing it to disintegrate into nothing, before staring at Harry in both a confused and worried manner.

"What was all that about!" Justin cried out, bringing Harry's attention back towards him,

"What do you mean?", Harry asked,

Justin shook his head, "You're mental you are!",

Before Harry could get a straight answer, the Hufflepuff and his friends quickly departed the hall, as did many other students. Harry's friends and sister quickly got him off stage and out of the hall, rushing along the halls before stopping in an alcove far enough away from everyone,

"What the hell was that Harry!", Rose cried out,

"What!? What did I do!", Harry cried out in frustration,

"You never told us you were a Parselmouth!" Ron exclaimed,

Harry leaned himself against a wall as he rubbed his hands over his face, "First of all, what is a Parselmouth, and second, how am I one?",

Hermione stepped up and cleared her throat at this point, "Parselmouths are people who have the ability to talk to snakes, parseltongue, and that is exactly what you just did back there Harry",

"What? I was just talking normally though!",

Rose took hold of her brother's hand, "Trust me, whatever you thought you were saying, it sounded like snake".

"This is bad news guys, the only known parselnmouths are all dark wizards, what the hell is the rest of the school gonna think!" Alec exclaimed,

"Relax guys, I was only trying to tell the snake to stop", Harry explained,

"I'm sorry mate, but it sounded like you were egging it on to attack Justin", Ron added,

Harry groaned as he leaned his head back against the wall, "great, just one more thing that I need to be known for",

"Hey, think of it this way, you ever come across to Australia, you don't have to worry about the snakes!", Alec said, trying to lighten the mood, "No? That wasn't' funny?",

Rose shook her head as she rolled her eyes, "Come on Harry, let's just get you back to the tower and into bed, we can talk about this all tomorrow",

"Agreed. I tell you this though guys, we need to get down to the bottom of whoever or whatever is causing these attacks!",

Hermione clucked her tongue lightly, "I think I may just have a solution to that".


	18. Authors note

Hey guys, just here to tell you that the new revamped version of OAPAAP is now live, check it out from chapters 1-17. Chapter 18 should be ready soon. Cheers!


End file.
